The Other Child
by mangalover4ever07
Summary: A new enemy has come forth and is giving the Sailor Scouts a run for their money. But the Imperial Silver Crystal is not on the agenda, the enemy wants the Scouts destoryed once and for all. But wait...is the foe Rini's older sister?
1. Dreams to Dreams

Chapter 1: Dreams to Dreams

_Serena stirred from her slumber to the sound of an angelic voice. Her cerulean eyes opened slowly expecting to see her alarm clock sitting on the nightstand. Instead her vision cleared to see a vast space of whites and silvers. _

_Startled by her surrounds, the blonde sat up. She expected to see her precious cat and guardian Luna at the foot of her twin bed not satin white sheets on the king size bed. Looking down she was dressed in a white and gold night gown, not the purple pajamas with crescent moons that she dressed in every night. _

_Serena rubbed the sides of her temples. _Never again will I eat strawberry pop rocks mixed with soda pop, chocolate covered caramels, and four slices of red velvet cake before bed again.

_Not knowing where she was at the moment didn't stop her from wanting to know who was singing. Stepping down off the platform, her feet touched the coldness of the marble floors as she walked out of the grand bedroom. _

_It seemed like her feet knew exactly where to go as she gracefully walked down the hallway; the volume of the singing became louder. _

_She suddenly stopped in front of a door. Twisting the golden handle, she was engulfed by the brightness of the room. Stepping inside, the room was very different from the one she had exited. There were splashes of green, blue, pink, purple, red, and yellow throughout the room. _

_She didn't take long to observe the room as she found the person in possession of the most beautiful voice she had ever heard. _

_Her back faced her as the woman brushed her dark hair in front of the mirror. She swayed her hips back and forth along with the soft tune, her long white dress moved along with her. _

_Serena watched as she stopped in mid-brush, the singing ceased as she looked over her shoulder. The blonde's eyes widen when she realized the woman was a teen. Around her age and she looked a lot like herself. _

_The unknown girl's blue eyes smiled at her, she turned a little more, giving Serena a better view of her apparel; a gown only worn by the royal family. _

"_I'm sorry." Serena eyes traveled back to the teen's face who was smiling back at her. "Did I wake you, Mama?" _

_

* * *

_

* * *

Serena's eyes popped open as she moved to sit up. Looking around, she was relieved that she was back in her old room, in her own bed, wearing her favorite pajamas. At the foot of her bed, Luna purred in a curled ball.

Scrubbing her hands over her face, she sighed. The dream was so vivid. She figured that she was in the Moon Kingdom and that she took on the place of her future self, but who was that girl? She called her mama. Was it Rini? It had to of been. Rini was her and Darien's only child. But she was older, and her hair was darker.

_Maybe she was sick of having pink hair and decided to dye it. Serena _concluded. Not wanting to dwell on the matter any further; her head was hurting enough as it was.

"Serena?" Luna stretched out, exposing her claws. She let out a big yawn. "My, isn't this a pleasant surprise. You're up before noon."

"Yeah?" she looked over at her clocked and groaned. It was 7:56 in the morning. She had never seen anything before eleven during the summer without an alarm.

"Well, it's good practice when you start school again." Luna lectured; pouncing down she began to leave the room, hoping to find fresh milk for breakfast.

"Hey Luna?" Her mistress stopped her midway.

"Yes," she sat down at the doorway. "What is it?"

"Rini is my only child, right?" Luna gave her a puzzled look.

"Why, yes. What would make you think she wasn't?"

Serena opened her mouth, then thought about it and decided again it. "It's nothing." She shook her head. "Just a funny dream. Forget I asked."

Luna sat a second longer, her cherry red eyes observing the girl's body language. "Well, all right then. Since you're up, you might as well start the day. Aren't you meeting the girls to go shopping today?"

She nodded, remembering that she and her girlfriends had made plans to hang out before the summer had ended. They hadn't spent much time together this year, so she was excited to see them.

She followed her feline's footsteps, making her leave for the bathroom. The thought of the dream faded away.

* * *

Seven figures bowed in front of their master cloaked in darkness. Each of them had been summoned by him personally for a special task, one that was unknown to them.

"I am pleased that all of you have taken my invitation." His voice echoed ominously though the dark cavern.

"Of course sire." One of the seven cooed softly.

"We would do anything for you." another spoke. "But may I ask why you have asked us here, and to earth no less?"

The shadow shifted in his throne. Leaning out of the darkness, he descended down the stairs to his minions. Nothing was shown to them but the white mask that covered his face as the rest of his body was covered in a black robe.

Shaken that he was showing his presence to them, the one in red elbowed her inquisitive companion in the ribs causing her yelp in pain.

"Now, now ladies; there is no need to fight amongst yourselves." He mocked. "I called you forth because you're the strongest in my kingdom and I am in need of your services. Now that I am at the throne, I feel the need to expand my kingdom and what better place than this inferior planet."

His servants nodded in understanding. "But there are still some pesky rodents that need to be exterminated: those Sailor Scouts."

A small collected gasp escaped through their lips.

"We are honored that you have chosen us for a task such as this." The one in blue responded humbly.

"So what is it that you want? The Imperial Crystal that is in their possession?"

"No, that jewel serves me no purpose. No." he repeated, "what I want are those meddling girls gone. By any means necessary."

"Many before us have tried, some came awfully close, but all have failed." The shadow walked over to the one that spoke. Slowly, a crippled hand emerged from underneath his cloak. He touched her face.

"So are you saying that you cannot completely my task?" He gripped her chin so that she couldn't look away from his hidden gaze.

"N-no. But it will be a-a challenge." She stammered.

"I'm always hungry for a challenge." Her companion suddenly said.

Letting go of his prey, he slowly walked back in the middle, glancing as each of them.

"If you complete the mission, I promise that you will all be handsomely rewarded. Anything that you ask for will be yours." He fell silent, watching as each of their eyes lit up with excitement.

"However, I don't tolerate failures and those who do will be eliminated…immediately." His voice boomed, emphasizing his point. "Am I clear?"

"Yes sir." They said in unison before vanishing.

"Do you think they will win? After all we are talking about the infamous Sailor Scouts." The woman who had witnessed the whole meeting spoke from behind him.

"No." he said without turning. "They won't defeat them. But they will be strong enough to weaken them." Now he turned to the beautiful woman, sweeping her hair from her youthful face. He was enticed by her blue eyes that stared boldly at him.

"And once they are weakened, _you_ will be there to finish the job." The woman smiled wickedly.

"Then Earth will become yours."

"Then Earth will become _ours_."

* * *

Serena played with the pleats of her high waist skirt as she sat on the bench in the park waiting for her friends to arrive.

"Where are they?" her pink haired daughter whined anxiously. Her small legs swung repeatedly as she fiddled with the clasps of her jumper.

"They should be…."

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" Instinctively Serena jumped to feet when Rini screamed. But she looked in the direction that the girl was running in to see why.

"Trista!" Rini jumped into her caregiver's arms, giving her a big hug.

"Has hell frozen over?" the raven smiled as Serena walked over to them. "Serena is here before we are?"

"Shut up Raye." The blonde laughed as she hugged one of her closest friends. "I wasn't expected you three to be here too." She gestured to Amara, Michelle, and Trista, the three scouts usually distanced themselves from the others.

"We ran into them by chance and decided to tag alone." Michelle explained. Serena smiled happy to see everyone.

"Serena, I love your outfit." Mina praised her as she played with the yellow ruffles of her blouse. "It's a little off from your regular style."

"Yeah." Their friend blushed at their gazed and compliments. "Mom brought it for me for my birthday."

"A huge upgrade from those kiddy clothes you wear." Amara scoffed at her earning a punch in the arm from her girlfriend. "I was joking." She defended her comment when Michelle glared at her.

"So what was the plan for today?" Trista asked, easing the awkward tension.

"Well, we did plan to go shopping. But," Serena began when Amara groaned softly. "Since you all are here, how about we just grab something to eat and play catch up?"

"Sounds good to me!" Lita agreed. "Your choice Serena."

"Ok." As those words left the blonde's mouth, her friends felt that they would regret giving her the opinion of choosing where they would dine.

* * *

"Wow, Serena! You've seriously surprised me with your pick." Raye commented as she looked over the wide selection of food on the menu.

"Yeah, I thought you were going to pick some burger joint on the corner. Not some decent middle-class restaurant." Amara jokingly said.

"You two can shove it." Serena retorted, slightly insulted. But she knew that they meant well. "Darien introduced me to this place awhile back. Their chocolate cake just melts in your mouth." Her girlfriends laughed at her teary eyed expression as she thought about the dessert.

"Thank God you haven't changed too much." The tall brunette laughed. "It's been a lot time. I missed you guys."

"Yeah! How was everyone's vacations?" Mina asked. "Who wants to begin?"

"How about you Mina, since you're so excited to tell us your visit to England." Amy laughed at the other blonde. Everyone waited until they placed their orders before listening to stories.

"England was amazing! I miss home soo much!" Mina exclaimed. "My family's good. Everyone was excited to see me and staying longer after the volleyball championship game made it all the more better."

"Speaking of which, how did that go?" Raye asked.

"Oh," Mina's smiled dimmed a bit. "We won!" she threw her arms up enthusiastically. Amy hushed her quietly when other patrons turned at their section. "Oh, sorry." She blushed.

"Congratulations!" Serena praised as the others applauded.

"Thank you, thank you." Mina bowed in her chair. "But did you think we would lose. I mean, with _me_ on the team."

"Watch it Amara, her head is getting bigger by the second." Raye mocked a whisper. "Wanna pin to pop it?"

"That would be appreciated."

"Hey!" Everyone began to laugh at their antics.

"So, how was your trip to America?" Amy asked the question to Michelle and Amara

"Amazing. Everything was amazing." Michelle swooned.

"But you two went at different times right?"

"Yes. I went first to train with the orchestra for ten weeks and traveled from coast to coast performing."

"And I got the opportunity to drive in the Indy 500 race." Amara puffed out her chest proudly. "I didn't get to compete, but the experience was priceless."

"That's awesome." Serena said. She was cut short when the waiter came back with their food.

"Amy, you worked at the hospital this summer right?" the dirty blonde tomboy looked between the two who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, at the hospital treating patients with incurable diseases." The blue haired girl explained as she sampled her food; pleased with the choice that she made.

"That must have been awful. " Raye's face expressed pain and sadness. "You had to watch some of them die?"

"Yes. It was heartbreaking because we grew attached to a few."

"How couldn't you when you were around them for more than eighteen hours a day."

"But even though I knew I couldn't do anything to save them, every day I was there doing my best made me feel like I was helping them more and more. It gave me more of an incentive to purse my dreams of becoming a doctor and finding cures."

Trista made an audible sound of agreement. Feeling the same way Amy did as she talked about her journey around the fashion capitals of the world. Helping different designers and working under their tutelage made her dreams of becoming a famous fashion designer more real.

"I know what you mean." Lita interjected. "About getting an incentive to pursue your dreams. Working as an intern at a bakery this summer motivated me to open up my own shop one day."

"Great Lita!" Serena said through a mouthful of food. "You know if you ever need a taste tester, I'm your girl."

"Thanks Serena, I'll keep that in mind."

"Not unless you wanna go bankrupt before you even open." Mina's snide remark got her a dinner roll to the side of her head. "Hey!"

"You're the one to talk!"

"Brat!" Mina raised her hand to throw the roll back but the raven stopped her.

"Children, let's be a little more grown up. Ok?" Raye calmly said, getting the blonde to release the bread.

Michelle shook her head at the two blondes who mocked each other from across the table. Their childish behaviors were missed dearly.

"And what did you do Raye?" the violinist inquired.

"Nothing special unlike the rest of you guys. I stayed here, helped out grandpa and Chad around the shrine and I've been sharpening my skills as a priestess as well. I'm a lot better than I was two years ago." She boosted.

"And how are you and Chad?" that got the raven to turn about three shades of red before she decided to rival the color of her tank top.

"We're progressing, slowly but we're progressing."

"But it's been the better of two years, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, but we're mainly on again, off again. He does something great that makes me glad that we're together, then he does something stupid and it makes me wanna retract my first thought. It's a never-ending cycle." She giggled, thinking about how the shaggy haired man stumbled upon her family shine years ago.

"And what about you Rini." Trista spoke to the littlest one in the group. "How was your summer?"

"Horrible." She said quickly. "I got shipped off to summer camp for two months." She whined as she stabbed her chicken with her fork.

"It couldn't have been that bad." Trista frowned, stroking the young one's head.

"Bugs, dirty lake water, snakes, hard beds, mean counselors, dark cold nights, mushy food; any of that sound like a good time?"

"Don't listen to her." Serena downed the last bit of her strawberry milkshake. "She enjoyed every bit of that camp. She called one time to complain about the same thing the first week, but when I called again to ask if she wanted to come home, she threatened that she would never speak to me again if I dragged her away."

Rini scrunched up her nose, trying to hide her grin. She wasn't going to admit that the camp that her mother chosen for her was the best thing that she could have done.

"Oh, I see. You were only teasing us." The gate keeper giggled as she tickled the girl.

"You're last Serena." Mina squealed.

"Yeah, what did you do for three months beside whine about how hot it was?" Raye teased her.

"Let's see." Serena's blue eyes roamed from the ceiling to the floor and back as if she was really thinking about what she did in the past months. She shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing really; I worked, spent time with Darien and Luna trained me in some "scout" skills."

Her answer had everyone, but Rini, gawking at her.

"What did you say?" Mina was the first to knock herself out of her stupor.

"Huh?"

"Repeat what you just said."

"Work, time with Darien, training." Everyone became silent once again.

"She must be telling the truth because lightening didn't strike her." Amara taunted. Serena gave her a dull glare before giving her the finger.

"Wow! Serena's getting feisty!" Mina hooted with laughter.

"Man, Darien must be doing something right"

"He's doing nothing but making me happy, each and every day." Serena smiled lovingly.

"Have you guys done it yet?" and then Mina ruined it for her.

"La la la la la la la la la la!" Rini smashed her hands against her ears. "Don't wanna hear it. Don't wanna hear it." She chanted.

"That's very personal!" Serena shrieked; her face turned red with embarrassment. "But no we haven't. He said not until we are both ready."

"So who's not ready in this party?"

"Most likely me." She shied away, looking around for the waiter to get his attention. She really wanted her chocolate cake. "But he said he'll wait until I am. And since I'll be at school in the fall and him working, we really won't have the time for that. It's not like we're living together so we won't even see each other often."

Everyone flew off topic as the waiter came back taken their last orders of the day.

"Look at us. Talking about boyfriends, school, dreams and whatever. No one would ever guess that we save the world from evil and destruction on a daily basis." Lita cried out slouching in her seat.

"Well no one is supposed to know. That's the point." Amy noted.

"Yeah, I know but don't you guys, you know, think it's boring?"

"Boring that we are living our happy lives like we should?" Michelle raised an eyebrow at her statement.

"No. That's great and all. But don't you miss being a scout; fighting evil?"

There was silence among the girls as they pondered the question.

"Sure. I miss it." Amara said causally. "The adventure, the excitement, the rush; everything that came alone with being a Scout I miss. But those days are over now."

"I would be lying if I said that I didn't miss it." Raye claimed. "But as long as the world is safe, there's no need to be a Sailor Scout. " The others nodded in agreement.

Serena stuck her hand in the pocket of her skirt pulling out the pink locket. "Better safe than sorry though." She looked up to see everyone had done the same. Though the world was peaceful and quite at the moment, there was never any indication that it would stay that way.

She almost drooled when her hunk of chocolate cake was placed in front of her. She dove into it right away, savoring the taste as it glided smoothly down her throat.

"Let's just pray that no one comes to try and take over the world anytime soon."

"Yeah!" the girls cheered before eating their dessert, unaware that they wouldn't miss being a Sailor Scout for much longer.

* * *

A/n: So I wrote this story all on** paper **during the summer because  
1) I didn't have a job.  
2) My computer crashed...for good this time folks. (but I got a new one :D) and  
3) I was mad bored!  
So as I repent because I caused a few woodland creatures to not have a home this winter (sad face) I'll try my best to transfer this story from paper to my laptop...

Sooo enjoy and please review! XD


	2. Sleep Tight

Chapter 2: Sleep Tight

_Serena opened her eyes to wake up to the most uncomfortable pain she had ever experienced. She felt hot; her body was covered in sweat. She felt swollen and tight; mainly the pain radiated from her lower back and in between her thighs. _

_Looking around she realized that she wasn't alone. Unfamiliar faces seemed uninterested by her pained expression as they roamed around swiftly; doing the jobs that was assigned to them. _

_Serena didn't know why she was having these realistic dreams. She hadn't had one since the week before. Now they were back again. If she had to choose, she would rather hear the older Rini sing than to go through this kind of pain. _

"_Your Majesty? Can you hear me?" Cerulean orbs focused on a middle-aged man looking down on her. She had no clue who he was, but it seemed like he was there to help. _

"_Where am I?" Serena was alarmed that her voice came out so weary. "Why am I in so much pain?" _

_The man chuckled softly. _

"_You're in the Infirmary, my Queen. And this pain should be familiar to you. But don't fret, it will all be over shortly." He remained calm as he moved around her before taking his place at her feet. Two more women surrounded him with towels and other instruments that she didn't care to identify. _

"_Alright, your Majesty, you're fully dilated…"_

Oh my God! Did he just say dilated! I'm pregnant! I'm having a baby!

"_I'm having a baby!" She shouted her last thought. "I'm having Rini!" _

"_Is that the name you've decided? How lovely." The nurse smiled as she patted her head with a cool damp cloth. _

"_Yes you are." The doctor answered her obvious question. "Now on the count of three, I want you to push. One… "_

But he said familiar. That means I've done this more than once!

"_Three!" Without warning her body responded to that single word. Feeling her fragile skin splitting caused her to scream out in pain. _

This couldn't be happening to me! This is a damn dream! There was no way that I'm giving birth!

_Unable to take the pain anymore, her body gave out. She slumped back into the bed. Her breathing became labored and heavy. _

"_You're doing fantastic." The praising of the doctor was already starting to annoy her. She rudely batted away the nursed who patted at her face again. _

"_Again, on three. One…"_

This is bullshit! There is no way that any of this is fair!

"_Three!" Again her body jolted. It tore and stretched, trying to expel whatever foreign creature was inside. _

_Energy finally drained, she fell back on the bed and blackout._

_

* * *

_

Seven powerful forces took residence in the tower, naked to the human eye, looking over the world that they would conquer for their master.

"Do you think that this is a good idea?" the youngest of the bunch asked, lounging in one of the windows. "What have these people done to us?"

"Does it matter?" the other lashed out. "We were hired to do a job. We get in, and get out"

"Not without our rewards." The third chimed in. "We're not leaving until we get what's promised to us."

The other rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes and the rewards."

"Tempest is right. It doesn't matter as long as we get the job done." The sultry one of the group looked over at her sister who seemed to be in her own world.

"What are you looking at Tam?"

"These creatures that don't have a care in their world go day by day without having to worry about who's out to get them."

"Aw. I'm pretty sure they do." She got up to stand by her side.

"But not like we do."

"But their not as powerful as we are; or beautiful." she giggled, wrapping her arms around the other.

"I second that!" their sister chimed in making the two laugh softly.

"Are we done joking around so we can get down to business?" Tempest snapped. The six nodded at the head of their group. "So who's going to go up first?"

Silence surrounded the tower as no one wanted to answer. Which was reasonable; who would want to be the guinea pig to test out their new formable opponents.

"I think Manda should be the first one to go." Brie spoke for the first time.

"Why me?" Mandara asked, not really caring whether she went first or not.

Brie shrugged her shoulder. "The sooner you go, the faster you can finish."

Mandara thought about it. Sighing she stretched out her arms and let out a yawn.

"Whatever." She said dully before disappearing.

* * *

_Serena woke up completely exhausted, her body felt like it got ran over by a truck…repeatedly. She silently thanked whoever had the sense to know exactly where to put her pillows so she was comfortable and didn't have to move. She was too tired to care where she was at the moment; she had never been so anxious for her subconscious to wake up so she could get out of this dream. _

_Hearing the clicks of the door opening had her wishing that whoever was walking in the room would turn around and walk right back out. She was not in the mood. _

"_You've finally awaken." Her heart pounded in her ears at the familiar voice. Shifting slightly, she looked up at a face that she did recognize and was happy to see, but at the same time, was not happy to see. _

"_My beloved." King Endymion leaned down to kiss her forehead. "How are you feeling?" he laughed softly when she glared at him._

"_Are you really going to ask me that? _Really_?" _

"_I see you are as cheery as always." _

"_I hate you." it was a dream so she felt she was allowed to say whatever she wanted. _

"_You don't hate me that much. You said that the last time and we ended up here yet again." He winked and turned away from her when she made a weak grab for him. _

"_Would you like to hold your daughter?" he returned to her side, this time hold a pale pink bundle in his arms. _

_Nodding, she cradled the infant in her arms. Pride and happiness swelled in her in her heart as her daughter, their daughter, slept peacefully. _

"_Hi." Serena whispered her finger tips grazed across a puffy cheek. "Hi Rini." The sight of her precious gift made her love the child in real life even more._

"_Papa. Papa. Can I see her now?" A small voice came from nowhere._

"_Sure, sweetheart." She watched as her husband bent over, lifting a smaller version of the young teen that she had saw in her pervious dream. She looked exactly the way Rini looked today. Her dark hair was fashioned differently; thick and wavy locks framed her face. Her big blue eyes roamed the small infant in amazement and curiosity. _

"_Can I hold her Mama?" She sat down next to her, waiting to receive the baby. Serena was gentle as she handed the bundle of joy to the other child. She watched as Rini cooed, waking up from the movement; the little girl smiling at her, touching her softly, giving her butterfly kisses. _

"_You're a big sister now. You know that right?" her father asked. She nodded her head in acknowledgement, but she was fixated on the baby in her arms. _

"_You know the responsibility that goes with that?" This time she looked up. Both parents saw the determination in her eyes. _

"_It means that I have to love and protect her." _

_

* * *

_

She woke up, grateful that she was back in real time. She shifted to get up, but moaned at the slight twinge of pain that she felt after "given birth."

"This is unbelievable." She sat on the edge of the bed, breathing slowly hoping that it would relieve her pain.

"Serena?" Luna raised her head up; curious as to why her mistress was up early again. "Are you ok?" she noticed the pain etched across her face.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little back pain. I must have slept in a wrong position." She got up slowly to stretch her back. Bending almost backwards, she felt her muscle popping; realigning once again. Letting out a sigh of relief, the blonde turned back to her cat that had fallen back asleep.

Now fully awake, Serena decided she needed to knock on someone's door.

* * *

Well, knocking wasn't really necessary. Her relationship with her boyfriend had gone to the level of allowing her to obtain a key to his apartment.

Letting herself in, she followed the routine of taking of her shoes and hanging her coat before searching his house for the sole occupant.

She knew that he hadn't left. His belongings were still in place and the sound of the shower running indicated that he was still around.

Sitting down on the couch, she wondered what it would be like if she moved in with him. The place that she had grown to love was just big enough for him but he had made room for her as well. She was unsure if the crowded space would drive them crazy or would it finally bring them closer so that they could go to the next step.

Lost in thought, she didn't here the shower cut off or the man that she loved exit the bathroom and into his bedroom. It wasn't until after he returned; dressed only in slacks did she notice that he was moving about. How she positioned on the couch, she knew that he was unaware of her presence.

"Darien."

"Jesus Christ!" He jumped, almost dumping his hot coffee down the front of him.

"No, it's Serena." She giggled, standing up to see him over the kitchen counter. Cautiously he set the mug down before moving to the small living room where she was at, giving her a sound kiss on the mouth.

"What are you doing here? And so early for that matter."

"I couldn't sleep." She admitted, snuggling against his bare chest. About a year ago, she would blush madly, stutter, pass out, or do a combination of the three if she even saw a fraction of his exposed skin if it wasn't his arms or face. Now she had grown accustomed to seeing much of all of him, expect for one place…but she wasn't going to get into that now. It _was_ the reason why she was there in the first place.

"I'm sorry to hear that." He placed a hand on her cheek, his thumb stroking her skin. If she were a cat, she would have been purring by now. "But why did you come all the way here?" He didn't get an answer, but he knew he wouldn't as his girlfriend was melting away by his touch. Though it made him wonder who would burst into flames first when they would go beyond touches. No doubt it would be him. He couldn't help but fall in love with his blond goddess, his queen, his Serena.

"Serena."

She looked up to find his dark eyes blazed with emotions as his lips captured hers again. This time more aggressive, more passionately.

Serena obliged him by parting her lips, letting his tongue enter her mouth. It was amazing that something as small as a kiss could turn out to be the most intimate thing between them. How one could either warm her insides or set her on fire.

Their tongues danced together briefly before ending the kiss. They shared the same air; trying to catch their breaths.

It took her a moment to clear her head before remembering why she came to his place.

"I hate you." she suddenly said, taking her dark and handsome beau off guard.

He definitely wasn't expecting her words. Maybe _I love you_ would have suited the moment or _Let's make love…_that was a stretch but a huge possibility after they kiss they shared. But _I hate you_ wasn't even on the list.

Nor was the rain of fist that came on top of him soon after.

"Ow! Serena!"

"I hate you. I hate you. I… hate… you!" she repeated over again with each swing.

"What did I do?" Darien became desperate to find out why she became so irate. "If it's about the kiss, I'm sorry." He was literally being backed into a corner.

"I hate you for making me go through so much pain giving birth to your children!" she wailed as she kept on punching him.

"Wait...what?" Darien tried to concentrate on her words while trying to dodge her blows.

"I hate that you made me pregnant in the first place."

"Whoa! Pregnant?" that's all he needed to hear. Instantly, Darien grabbed both of her hands, stopping his punishment. "What the hell do you mean pregnant? We've only kissed!"

Her slight rage diminishing, she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know that!" snatching her hands away, she walked back to the couch. "I'm not pregnant for real."

"But you just said…"

"Sit down." She patted the cushion next to her.

Darien stood dumbfounded. Trying to figure out everything that just happened in a matter of minutes; then he thought it would be better if it were explained.

"That's heavy, Serena." Darien said after Serena had explained her dreams. "Do you think it's all true? That we do have another daughter?"

"I don't know, but my gut is telling me that it is true." She linked her fingers with his. "But when I asked Luna, she said that there was only Rini."

"A lot of things were erased from our memories. She's just one of the many that we have yet to recover."

"Yeah, but why her?" She shook her head. "It doesn't make any sense. She appeared to be the oldest. So if any child should be erased from our memories it would be Rini, right?"

Darien shrugged "I don't know, love. Did you try asking anyone else if they remember?" He watched as her golden tails swished from side to side.

"No, it was early when I got up this morning so I didn't ask Rini or the other girls."

"So it's later in the morning now, why don't you try giving them a call." Darien suggested, giving her the cordless phone from its cradle. "That way you can ease your mind about this."

Nodding, she began to dial the memorized numbers. She decided to call Amy first, knowing that she would be up by this time.

She frowned when the call went to voice mail after a few dial tones.

Hanging up she tried Raye's house. Again the same thing occurred.

"I don't like this." She murmured as she dialed the next number. No one picked up.

"Did you find your answer?" Darien asked as he walked back out, fully clothed this time. "Serena?" Panic bubbled within him when he saw her worried stricken face.

"No one it picking up. No one!" out of frustration, she threw the phone on the ground.

"Calm down baby. Maybe they're busy."

"All of them? And even if they were, they would pick up and tell me." She shot to her feet and began to pace. "I don't like this." She repeated. "Not one bit."

Darien was about to speak up. Then settled on taking a page out of her book and actually think that something was wrong. Clearing his mind of everything, he finally felt that something wasn't right.

"Serena. Do you hear that?"

"No." though she answered, she still stopped to listen to whatever Darien was hearing. "I don't hear anything."

"My point exactly." He rushed passed her and onto the balcony. Looking around down below he saw nothing, heard nothing. It was 9:12 on a Wednesday morning. The average person would be out doing their daily activities, going to work, driving around.

Kids would be playing; helicopters would be in the sky, even damn birds would be singing, bees would be buzzing.

But there was nothing.

"Serena, turn on the T.V and the radio." Without question, the blonde did what she was told turning on the electronics.

She found it hard to swallow when nothing but static came through. No news reports, no morning cartoons, music. They were dead.

"I don't like this." Darien echoed. Moving fast, he grabbed his companion by her arm, pulling her towards the door.

"Where are we going?"

"To find out what's going on."

* * *

Darien and Serena walked cautiously around their beloved city which had turned into nothing more than a ghost town. No one was present but the two of them. There were no people on the sidewalks, in shops or restaurants.

There were no motor vehicles on the streets. Not even a cat or dog crossed their paths. There was nothing. As if everyone had walked off the face of the earth.

They had tried everyone's houses, even people that they didn't know. Not a living soul was around.

"It'll be okay." Darien soothed her, rubbing a thumb over her shaking hand. Serena on the other hand wasn't so certain.

"I don't know Darien." she surprised herself that her voice wasn't as shaky as the rest of her. "I've seen this movie before and one of three things is going to happen. Either Vampires are going to pop out, zombies are going to pop out or the mixture of the two is going to pop out."

Darien did his best to contain his laughter by rolling his eyes instead. "I don't think zombies or vampires or any of that is possible."

"Well do you have a better idea on what the heck is going on?" She could feel that she was on the verge of hysteria.

"The Negaverse." Was all Darien said as they traveled furthered through the empty city.

Serena shook her head. "It can't be. Nothing like this has ever happened before with them."

"It could be a new line that is more powerful than the others." Serena frowned. But she knew better. As soon as she became comfortable with the idea of having a normal life, the Negaverse always showed their ugly heads.

"We have to make it to my house." She began to pick up speed as fear settled into her stomach. "I have to see if my family is ok."

Saying nothing, Darien ran alongside her.

* * *

"So what's your plan on this one Mandara?" Tempest asked when her sister came back to the tower.

"I put everything and everyone to sleep." She took her position back at the window.

"And how is that going to complete our task?" Tempest was seeing red; getting annoyed by her nonchalant attitude, but that couldn't be helped.

The girl in blue huffed in annoyance, pissed off that everyone wanted to question her methods. They put her up first to get the job done and that's what she did. Why did she have to explain herself?

"It's simple, efficient, and I don't have to waste any energy in fighting." She began, speaking in her normal monotone voice.

She looked outside the window, admiring the peaceful world. "Everyone is asleep, therefore no one can take care of this planet or themselves for that matter. Soon everything will rust, rot, starve, decay, and die."

"Starving to death?" Brie shook her head; the thought sent chills down to her bones. "What a horrible way to go."

"I'm impressed." Her loving sister praised her. "But do you think that the Sailor Scouts were trapped in your spell?" she twirled her thick, fire engine red hair between her fingers, somewhat worried that her lazy sister didn't think her plan through.

"They're humans and humans sleep."

She rolled her eyes at her half-assed answer. "That's true, but… never mind." She refused to waste her breath when Mandara tuned her out.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but someone has escaped you."

"What!" Tempest fumed when she heard the news. Her sister nodded; she fixed the strand of hair that had fallen out of place before flipping the mirror over to reveal two figures running through the streets.

"Who are they?" Brie wanted to know.

"It's a couple of teenagers that have slipped through Manda's spell." Tempest shot a deathly glare at her.

"Apparently they were doing something other than sleeping." Amora smiled, wiggling her eyebrows in suggestion.

"I don't care!" Amora and the others stepped away as lightening stormed around her. Her hand shot out, sending a bolt in Mandara's direction. Instinctively, she jumped, barely missed being hit by the surge.

"Hey, hey. Don't destroy our home." Brie jumped up, rushing to her older sister's side. She produced a gauntlet; pouring a red elixir, she gave it to her.

Tempest downed it quickly, cooling her system. She took a few quick breaths before speaking again. "Get it done." She pointed at the window. "Get rid of them now."

Mandara groaned. "Whatever."


	3. Wake Up

Chapter 3: Wake up

Serena burst through the front gate. Scrabbling to find the key to her front door. She found it, sending the silver key home.

"Mom! Dad!" Serena screamed as she flew upstairs, her boyfriend not too far behind. "Sammy! Rini! Luna!"

She opened her parents' room. Her fear subsided when she saw the two figures sleeping safely in bed. Slowly she approached them.

"Mom, wake up." She shook her shoulder, trying to stir her mother. "Dad, come on get up." She leaned over, doing the same thing. Hysteria started to rise again. "Come on! Get up!" she pushed them harder. Backing away when they did nothing but snore lightly, Serena ran out and into her own room.

"Luna, something is wrong." Even when the words left her mouth, she knew that Luna wasn't going to wake up. She was still curled up in the same position when she had left.

"Luna, please get up." She lifted the sleeping cat. Cradling her like a baby, she tugged on her ears lightly; a gesture that usually woke her. Not even a wag of her tail, or a rhythmic purr.

Gently she laid her pet down in the middle of the bed before looking for Darien.

"Darien? They aren't waking up." She shouted down the hallway, on the brink of tears. She had no clue what was going on.

She found him in Rini's room. Sitting on the edge of her pink bed, she watched as he stroked her hair lovingly. He looked as if he had lost a part of his world.

Gathering her courage, she walked over to him placing a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"She won't wake up." His voice was low, trembling a little. "I checked on Sammy too. It's like they're all under a sleeping spell."

"But how come we're not?"

"I don't know." He wanted to know the same thing.

Rising, he grabbed her hand for support. "But we're going to find out and fix this." He looked down at her. She saw a mixture of sadness, anger, and fight swimming in his eyes. Drying her own, Serena nodded.

"Let's go." They led each other out of her home. Walking down the street, they passed empty stores that should have been opened hours ago; restaurants that would have had been full of customers, school yards should have had children playing in them.

Instead, it was just the two of them wondering the streets.

"So this is the work of the Negaverse?" Serena asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Or some evil force out there."

"But what's the point in all of this? Why put everyone to sleep? It doesn't make any sense to me." Worried and frustrated, the blonde racked her nails through her hair, knocking a few pins out. One of her buns fell out.

"Damn it!" Scooping the plastic pins off the concrete, tears began to fall.

"Serena." Darien crouch down, encasing her in his arms he let her cry on his shoulders. "It's going to be ok. We're going to fix this."

"I know." She pulled herself together. "Thanks." She gave a weak smile. She got up to her feet. Walking over to the window shop, she used it as a mirror as she fixed her hair.

"I think the reason why they put everyone to sleep is because it's the quickest and easiest way to kill everybody.

Darien worked his theory. Leaning up against the window, he kept watch for the enemy. He had a feeling that by now, they knew there were survivors and was now on the move.

"Everyone is still alive, but if no one is awake, they can't take care of themselves. In reality, it will just be a slow process of starvation."

"We won't let that happen." Serena promised, pushing in the last pin.

"I see that humans are a lot smarter than I thought." Taken by surprise, she jumped turning in the direction of the voice; Darien moved in front of Serena to protect her of their newfound enemy.

She didn't look much of a threat. The silver haired woman with lavender eyes was borderline anorexic. She would have been beautiful if her face wasn't sunken in, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets and every bone in her body was visible against sickly gray flesh. The blue dress that she wore hung loosely around her frame, being held together by a thin white rope.

"What is your name? Who are you?" Darien's voice commanded attention. He stepped forward, blocking his loved one from harms way.

"I really don't like introductions. It's very time consuming." The unknown woman brushed a boney hand through her hair. She shifted in discomfort when they continue to stare at her, unwilling to budge until they got an answer.

"Mandara. Though it's not like it will matter if you know my name."

"You're the one who did this." Serena growled, standing beside her counterpart.

"Naturally."

"Why?"

"To help my master take over you're sorry excuse for a planet." She jumped off the guardrail walking in the middle of the road. "I don't know how you two slipped by me," as she spoke, the couple watched as she sprinkled what looked like to be a gold glitter on the ground.

"But I'm about to fix that." She gave them no time to run after her. Mandara vanished before them leaving a pile of gold dust in her wake.

Suddenly a soft tune wafted through the air. A tune that became recognizable to Serena. It was the same melody that the teen girl was singing in her dreams.

"Serena. Serena. Snap out of it!"

"What?" Serena became startled when Darien shouted at her. She finally saw what he was getting her to look at.

The golden dusts grew and began to morph into something else.

"I think you need to transform …now!"

"Right!"

By the time Serena had transformed into Sailor Moon, the golden dust had also transformed as well.

Sailor Moon tiled her head in confusion. The golden dust had turned into a winged child; one that looked like it was past her bed time and was dressed for the part. Her gold nightgown draped on the street as she clutched a pillow bigger than her own body. Her sleepy gray eyes could barely stay opened. The only thing that was keeping her from falling face first on the ground was her wings fluttering a million miles a minute.

"Aw!" Serena clasped her hands together; blue eyes shined with happiness. "She's adorable!"

"Focus, Sailor Moon. There's more to her than we think." The valor in Tuxedo Mask's voice didn't stop her from being mesmerized by the little girl.

"I know, but…" She stood on guard when the little girl let out a big yawn; wiping her sleepy eyes with the back of her hand.

"I'm sleepy." If her voice could be any cuter, Sailor Moon would melt with delight. "It's time to go to bed."

"I don't think I can fight her." The blonde heroine shook her head. "She's just too cute!"

"It's time to go to bed." The girl repeated. Her wings continued to flutter, this time expelling a mist of gold, coming towards the two.

"Don't inhale that!" Tuxedo Mask jumped out the way; Sailor Moon did the same barely getting out of the way. The powder breezed by a tree. In seconds, its vibrant green leaves turned brown and wilted; its bark peeled and it withered away into dust.

"It's time to go to bed."

"No it's not!" in a flash, a red rose swiped past her, breaking her concentration, the gold dust disappeared.

The girl fell to the ground as a result of her wings had stopped moving; the pillow cushioned her fall.

"You're mean." A whine came out of the winged girl's mouth, tears formed in her eyes.

The two watched cautiously as she gripped the pillow. Those sleepy eyes flashed with anger. Without warning, she slammed the pillow down. White feathers shot out like bullets, going in every direction.

Her opponents moved quickly on their feet, skillfully dodging the weapons with great difficulty. They weren't given enough leeway to make an attack, so they were forced to withdraw to defense.

Using their rods, they knocked down a considerable amount of dagger-like feathers but a few still made contact.

Once the pillow had finally ran out, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask caught their breaths and saw the damage that was done.

"Are you ok, Sailor Moon?" Tuxedo Mask was worried when he saw her bleeding in many different places on her body. Some of the feathers embedded themselves in her exposed flesh.

"I'm fine." Her boyfriend was in better shape then she was. Gingerly she pulled them out; twelve in total.

Her eyes widen when the girl raised the broken pillow again, ready to deliver another blow.

"Oh, no you don't!" Taking her tiara she flung it at her enemy.

She made a slight pump of her fist in triumph when she hit the target, vanquishing it into golden dust.

Retrieving her tiara, she rushed to her partner's aid.

"That was easy." She commented, pulling out the feathers that he'd missed or couldn't reach.

"A little too easy." His eyes were hidden behind his mask so Serena couldn't see his surprise, though the sudden stiffness of his body told her that the fight was _too _easy.

Turning she saw the gold dust morph once again back into the little girl. This time the sleepy eyed child was wide awake; her gray eyes now burned an emerald green, her thin lips curled revealing sharp canines.

"See, I _told_ you vampires would start popping up!"

"This is no time for jokes!" He lectured as the small girl replaced the pillow with a teddy bear that looked just as fierce as she did. The two glowed as one, transforming into one.

A ferocious beast shaped like a grizzly bear with wings like a hawks glared at them with devilish green eyes. His teeth were long and curved; drooled dripped, pooling at its feet.

Its roar vibrated through the area, shaking everything in its path. Roaring once more, buildings started to collapse and crumble and fell around them.

Tuxedo Mask draped his cape around his princess, shielding her and himself away from the falling debris.

"One the count of three, we jump and run." He whispered to her. Moving further away from the crumbling pieces of buildings, he was trying to figure out how they were going to defeat the monster with just the two of them.

It pressed down on the pads of its paws, its claws scraped against the street. The couple watched as the beast continued to scarp his paws on the ground as if revving up its engines.

"Separate and meet in the park." He nodded at the blonde's command.

"One… two…" The beast charged at them, ripping up the pavement in the process. They both waited until he was practically on top of them before they made their move.

"Three!" the said together. Pushing away from each other, they jumped out the way of the destructive animal.

As Tuxedo Mask predicted, he knew that it would only chase on of them, though he wasn't ready for it to be so agile. He moved out the way but not before the huge paw came crashing down, ripping his cape clean off.

Sailor Moon realized that she wasn't being followed. Skidding to a halt she found that her comrade was struggling to get away.

She heard a shrilling scream but didn't realize it came from her. Though the first paw missed him, the other didn't. Swiping out, the other, batted him like a fly. Tuxedo Mask slammed against the pile of rubble. He screamed in pain when another pressed against his chest, attempting to crush him.

Without hesitation, Sailor Moon ran back, this time using her Crescent Moon Wand, the beast dissolved once again into dust.

"Why didn't you run?" her prince exasperated, finding it hard to breath. He felt like his whole body had been flattened.

"I could never leave you." she did her best to pick him up. He yelled in pain as gravity started to pull on his broken form.

"Damn it." He cursed; more so because the golden dust was moving once again, taking shape into the grizzly.

"Let's move." He said, mustering up the strength not to cry out as they fled. They struggled to the park, but they made it. Setting her injured partner behind the shrubs, she took her place by his side.

"This isn't the best hiding place. We'll be spotted before long." His breathing was labored as his chest cavity moved up and down. They heard in the distance the roaring cries, more buildings crumbling to dust; the beast was looking for its prey that had gotten away.

"Why did you choose here?" The future queen shrugged her shoulders.

"I heard music coming from here."

"What music?"

"These things aren't for decoration." She smiled, tapping her nails against the red orbs that adorned her buns. "They can pick up sounds that are far away."

Tuxedo Mask smirked. "I didn't know that."

"I figured that out when Luna was training me. Anyways, I heard music just before the little girl appeared and it's a lot louder now that were in the park."

"What does that mean?"

"I remember Raye telling me that sometimes demons would separate their hearts from their bodies and hide them far away. They body can live on forever and never die because it had no heart. The only way to kill the demon is to kill the heart."

"So what are you saying? That the heart is here in this park?"

"Yes."

"Ok. So what's in here that makes music?"

"I don't think that its heart is apart of the park but it's hidden here. And I'm going to go look for it."

"I'm coming with you."

"No." Sailor Moon stopped him from moving. His body stiffened, exploding in pain. "You stay here. You're too injured."

"I'm not going to let you go out there alone." He hissed. They became silent when the grizzly appeared, walking around the area.

"You'll just slow me down and then we'll both be finished."

"You can't use the Wand anymore. You've drained too much energy."

"Then I won't use it." She whispered. "Besides I think I know where it is now." She noticed that the bear was circling around the slide shaped like a rubber duck.

"It has to be inside there."

"Ok, great. But how are you going to get in there?"

"I'll figure it out."

"Serena." He used her real name, which was rare when they were transformed. He grabbed a hold of her arm, which was a hard task on its own. She smiled, feeling his concern. Leaning over, she shared a kiss; another thing that they didn't do on the battlefield.

"I'll be fine." She looked into his shielded eyes. "Trust me." She felt him hold on a second longer before easing his grip.

Nodding, she snuck through the trees going in the opposite direction. She made sure that she was far away from her partner before putting her plan into action.

Throwing her tiara was a dead giveaway of her position but that's what she needed. The grizzly jumped when she announced her attack dodging the small accessory.

She stood her ground, hoping that her aim was still as good as before. The bear prepared to charge at her. Letting loose a thunderous roar, the earth shook beneath her.

Getting her cue, Sailor Moon ran towards the slide.

Realizing where the human was going, the bear began to charge, anticipating to cut her off short of her destination. The bear leaped through the air encasing a shadow over its prey.

Sailor Moon zigzagged just in time, escaping the weight of the beast as it came crashing down to earth, a large tree weighing down on its back; the same one her tiara had cut before their cat and mouse game began.

Pleased with the strategic move, the blonde climbed up the ladder of the ten foot tall duck. The melody of the music getting louder and louder until it was blasting in her eardrums.

Jumping on top of the duck's head, she found what she was looking for: the black pupil of the duck's left eye. That's where the sound of the music was coming from.

Reaching down she grabbed it, trying to yank it out. The bear roaring in pain proved to her that she was right.

She pulled at it again but soon realized that it wasn't going to budge. She began to panic, not because she couldn't get the heart out; the beast had freed itself from her trap and was now stalking over to her.

It walked closer to her before stopping, rearing back on its hind legs. It was going to pounce on her and there was no where for her to run.

She only had one choice. She took out her wand the second the bear lunged at her. Using every bead of strength she had left, she swung her weapon down like a hammer, shattering the heart just as the bear's claws were about to tear into her.

The music had stopped; the beast roared in sorrow and pain. A bright blue light shined in her eyes and engulfed her.

* * *

Serena woke up. Her breathing was heavy, her palms were sweating. She looked down at herself, realizing that she was in her pajamas.

She was back in her room.

"Serena?" she held her breath when she heard the prim and proper voice call her name.

"Luna!" she cried, snatching the black feline from the bed, she held on for dear life. "You're awake, you're awake!"

"Oh don't be silly Serena." Luna pushed back, trying to get some air. "Of course I'm awake. It's morning isn't it?"

"Morning?" puzzled, Serena looked at her clock. It read 7:58. It was the same time when she had woken up to visit Darien.

"The day started over?"

"What are you talking about?" Ignoring her guide, Serena scrambled for her cell phone, dialing the programmed number.

"Darien!"

"_Serena. Do you remember what happened this morning?" _

"Yes, everything. Are you alright?" She panicked remembering the ordeal that they went through.

"_Yeah, I'm fine. I'm not hurt at all. It seems like nothing has changed…as if…"_

"The day started over." They echoed each other. She shook her head. None of this was making any sense. "I'm calling the girls. They'll be pissed but this is an emergency, Get dress and meet us a Raye's at soon as possible."

They hung up; the girl shuffled out of bed.

"I'll explain everything on the way." She addressed the perplexed cat. "Go and wake up Rini and tell her to get dress."

The urgency in her voice had Luna acting fast. Once the cat did what she was told, the girl started to call the others.

* * *

A/n: you know...your stories will seem a lot bigger than what they actually are when you have a mountain of papers staring at you and your handwriting has changed from day to day so on some pages it's big and sloppy but then on others is big and you can read it, but then you have to look at other pages and ask yourself "WTF did you write!" So overwhelming...I'm NOT happy!

Please Review...at least that will give me motivation and my torment will not be in vain... ... ...


	4. It's All About Me

Chapter 4: It's All About Me

Serena trotted up the steps of the ancient shrine, Rini and Luna in tow. It was exactly what Darien had said, everything was back to how it was before the giant teddy bear on acid terrorized the city.

There were no piles of rubble or a broken city. Everyone was up, going to their destinations as they would early in the morning; traveling by car, bus, train, or foot.

She never wished for her city to be silent ever again.

"Hey!" she waved at the others when she reached the top. As expected she saw a lot of angry faces but she wasn't sure if it was because Darien had told them the news or because she had called for a meeting at the crack of dawn.

"Did Darien tell you what happened?" she asked once she made it over to them; she sat down next him on the steps.

Everyone nodded.

"This is insane!" Lita exclaimed. "I just can't believe that we were all sleeping when this happened."

"But it doesn't feel like we slept through a whole day." Mina pointed out.

"You didn't." Serena interjected. "The day just started over. After I smashed the heart, there was this bright light and then I woke up back in my room."

"The same with me and I was expecting to be in pain. I knew for sure that I had some broken ribs during that fight. It might have been even worst than that."

"Did you get a good look at the enemy?" Amara asked. She was pissed that an evil force was back and probably more powerful than anything they had faced.

"A skeleton with skin, silver hair, and lavender eyes. She said her name was Mandara and she had an I-don't-care attitude about her." Serena toyed with the tip of her hair as she explained.

"That doesn't give us much to go on." Michelle commented.

"Yeah, but that's all we've got so far." Serena snapped back. "I'm sorry. I'm just on edge right now. They can come after us at any moment. Without warning; what would have happened if we didn't escape the spell. Our world would have perished."

"Darien said most of the attacks were sleep related." Amy began to jot in her notebook. "A sleeping spell, a monster that was imitating a sleepy girl, sharp feathers."

"So what, we can't go to sleep now?" Raye jumped up, pacing to calm her nerves.

"I doubt that. I think that her powers emulate her personality. I'm sure that the others aren't like that."

"Others!" the girls shrieked.

"I agree with Amy." Trista stepped forth. "Serena said that she gave off a wave that she didn't care about anything. It would almost seems that someone else had pressured her to do it."

There was a pause. Brains were pondering what to do next.

"Alright Scouts!" Luna shouted with a burst of unexpected energy. "And Darien, we're back in business. Our mission is to stop these new foes from taking over the world. Is that clear?"

Everyone gave a confident smile, nodding their heads in acknowledgment.

"Right!"

* * *

Everyone dodge the lightening bolts that Tempest threw around the tower. The only one that the least interested in her tantrum was the one who caused it, Mandara.

So her spell didn't work like she planned. How was she supposed to know that Sailor Moon just so happened to be the one to break free.

Feeling her anger dissipating, Tempest stopped her attacks. Walking over to the window, she leaned again the wall looking out at the world she and her sisters were hired to destroy. And so far they were off to a bad start.

"Who's going to go up next?" She asked; venom dripped from her words.

"I think Vani should go next." Brie opened her mouth once again, nominating another sister.

Vani looked up from her mirror to glare at Brie "Since you're so quick to put everyone on the chopping block but yourself, why don't you get up and go?" Her anger spread across her face. Her lips thinned turning into a snarl; veins sprouted like spider webs around her face.

"Calm down Van. You're so not pretty when you're mad." Amora stated, filing her nails into sharp points.

Gradually, Vani returned back to her youthful self.

"I think Brie is on to something." Tempest began. "Vani, I think you should go." The sorceress sucked her teeth.

"Fine." She stomped her feet. Her purple heels clicked against the stone floor. Making her way to the window, she stopped and turned. "I'll do a better job anyways." She boasted.

And then she was gone.

* * *

_Serena wasn't surprised that she woke up again _not_ in her bed. This time she in a field of flowers. Looking more closely, she realized that she was in a garden. It didn't take her long to know that she was back at the Moon Kingdom. _

_Dusting her gown off, she began to walk back to the castle. Of course she didn't see anyone on the way. She never did. All she knew was that her feet took her where she needed to go and she would figure out the rest later. _

_Was her subconscious trying to tell her something? Was her other daughter present in real time? Was she close by and she didn't know it? _

_Making her way down the vast hallway, she stopped back at the same down she did the pervious night. Opening it, her daughter's room was flooded with color. But Serena noticed that the color blue was missing from the palate. _

"_Mama, Mama!" Rini squealed. She bounced up and down on the bed. She was no more then three years old. Her small frame adorned a pink dress. Her hair was just starting to grow; fashioned in "bunny eared" buns, the tails barely tickled her ears. _

_Crossing over to her, she kissed her cheeks before picking her up. She looked over to find the other one. This time she wasn't eight years old, but somewhere around eleven. _

_She sighed softly, her face scrunched up by her fisted hands. Her melancholy expression was reflected by her vanity mirror, pins scattered on the table; a hair brush laid off to the side. _

_Serena was unsure why the child was so upset_

"_What's the matter sweetheart?" Serena asked. _

"_It won't do it." She pouted._

"_What won't do what?" Serena giggled, teasing a strand of her dark hair. Now up close, she realized that her hair was a dark green with faint blue tint, very similar to her father's hair. She couldn't believe that she had given birth to two children. _

"_My hair." She flattened it against the sides of her face. "It won't cooperate." _

"_Well what are you trying to make it do?" _

"_To look like yours and Rini's." she looked up, her eyes filled with tears. Serena frowned, her heart wrenched for the girl. _

"_And why do you want your hair to look exactly like ours?" she sat Rini on the table, giving herself a chance to play with her hair. The thickness of it was the same as hers but the texture was different. Her hair was naturally wavy, it reminded her of the way Michelle wore hers, which would make it difficult to bind her hair into just two buns. _

"_Because I want to look pretty like you." Serena stopped fiddling with her hair. The tips of her fingers brushed against her chin, raising her head so that their eyes would meet. _

"_Listen to me. You are beautiful. No matter what your hair looks like. You don't have to copy anyone to be beautiful. Do you understand?" _

_The tears that swelled in her eyes before fell down her cheeks. She gave her mother a trembling smile. _

"_Yes, Mama." Her voice waivered. Serena began to brush her hair. Styling it to the best of her abilities; her daughter was right, the locks weren't cooperating. _

"'_on't cry, 'issy." Rini soothed in broken words. Patting her sister's face to dry her tears. _

_Her older sister accepted her gesture, kissing the palm of her hand as a thank you. _

_Serena tied off the end of her hair. "I'm done." She ruffled her bangs. It took her some time to manage it, but she did it. _

_The dark haired child looked away from her sister towards the mirror. Her eyes glittered with joy, her mouth gaped open in astonishment. _

_Her mother had styled it very similar to her own just how she wanted, but it was also different. Parts of her hair were braided on either side and then coiled around into the two famous buns. Her tails were also braided, making it slightly shorter than its natural length. _

"_Do I look pretty Mama?" she sniffed. _

_Serena smiled. She bent over until she saw her reflection; her two daughters' smiling faces on either side of her. She had hoped that she would be able to meet her someday. _

"_You look gorgeous." _

_

* * *

_The blonde walked towards Rini's room. She was having too many dreams about the same person. A person that she had never known existed until a few nights ago. Luna made her feel like she was crazy, insisting that there was no other child. Serena thought it was time that she should ask Rini, the only one in their group that didn't have their memory erased.

Her door was ajar so she let herself in. She found the tiny tot sitting at her desk. Her head was down, working diligently. Colored pencils were fanned out; pieces of discarded drawings littered the floor. Serena wished she had a talent to draw like her.

Sensing another presence in her area, Rini stopped drawing long enough to look up.

"Hi, Serena." She greeted, continuing her drawing.

She waved at her back. Stepping forward, she looked over her shoulder to see what she was doing.

"Aw! It's Luna, Artemis, and Diana." Serena recognized the cat family. "This is really good."

A faint blush bloomed under Rini's cheeks.

"Thanks."

Serena waited a beat, not sure as to how to approach the situation. She didn't know how she felt about the other child. She didn't know if the loving relationship that was displayed in her dreams had fallen through the cracks along the years. She didn't even know if she was even alive anymore.

A lot of unknowns plagued her mind. Taking a deep breath Serena felt there was only one way to find out.

"Rini?"

"Huh?"

"Can we talk about something?"

"Sure, what is it?" her pencil never stopped moving over the paper.

_Here goes nothing._ "Do you have an older sister?" the pencil stopped, clattering on the table. Slowly, Rini turned in her chair. Her face was nothing but serious.

"How do you know about Wynter?"

"Wynter? That's her name?"

"Yes. So how do you know her?"

"I-I don't." she fingered the tail of her bright blue blouse. "I've been dreaming about her lately, but I wasn't sure if she was real or just a dream or even alive for that matter."

Rini sighed heavily. "No she is real and very much alive."

Excitement sparked across her nerves. "Well, where is she? Is she still in the future? Why haven't you spoken about her? Is she a Scout like us?"

Serena stopped her frantic questions as she waited for Rini to return to her after she closed the door. Getting cozy, Rini sat next to the blonde by propping herself up with pillows.

"Wynter is my older sister. She's about sixteen now. I don't speak about her because I don't see her as much."

"Why?"

Rini guessed she should start from the beginning. "Wynter's the best. She's smart, beautiful; she has so many talents. She has an amazing voice and she can dance. We even made up this dance that only we do together, sort of like a secret password. And she plays the piano and violin and can ice skate really well, like you and Lita.

"She used to sing this song everyday; it was my favorite." She closed her eyes, the melody floated clear in her head.

"_Let me be your wings. Let me take you high above. Let me take you far beyond the stars.*" _Rini blushed. She was a little off key. "Wynter can hit those high notes better than me." She giggled.

Serena watched as the child's eyes lit up, her smile becoming bigger and brighter as she talked about her older sister. The fun that they had at the Kingdom, the games they played, the secrets they shared. She could tell that she loved and looked up to her.

"So is she a Scout like the rest?"

"No." Rini shook her head. "No, she wanted to become one, but she couldn't. She's already powerful enough." She explained further. "Being the daughter of the Earth's Prince can have its perks. Wynter can create and control the earth's elements."

"What?" Serena stared. "You're joking!"

"Mama and Papa realized it when she was very young so she was arranged to train with the Scouts and Papa routinely to help develop her skills. She turned out to be a terrific fighter and a skilled swordswoman, but it wasn't enough to hone in on her internal gifts.

"Mama sent Wynter to an academy in another universe because her powers were getting out of hand and she was having a hard time controlling them. Mama did want anyone to get hurt, including Wynter.

"That was five years ago. We see her when she would come back for vacation. But I haven't seen her since I've been here now. The last time I saw her was the day before Mama sent me back here tou you for training."

Serena rubbed her back, hearing the sadness behind the girl's words. She missed her.

"I hope that I can meet her one day."

Rini nodded happily. "She's amazing. You would really like her."

A hysterical meowing, followed by scratching noises emitting from the door ended their bonding time. Rushing to the door, Luna stumbled inside the room.

"Girls! Something is seriously wrong. Come quickly!" They wasted no time as they followed the feline to the bathroom.

"Sammy?" Serena knitted her eyebrows as she looked on at the fair-haired teen. He was standing away from the sink, his pajama top discarded at the door. He did a series of poses, flexing his non-existing muscles in front of the mirror.

"Have you ever seen a man like me? Just look at me!" he showed off, kissing his biceps.

"More like a scrawny kid." Serena joked walking over to him. "Come on, Sammy. What's your problem?"

"I'm amazing in every way." Her younger brother did another pose. "You can't tell me that I'm not the best looking guy in the room."

"You're the only guy in the room." Serena frowned. He was ignoring her. In fact, he never even acknowledged her existence. "Hey!" She grabbed his arm to yank it down; she was getting tired of his ego.

"He's not paying attention, Serena." Luna called out to her. "I even tried straching him a few times. It's like his mind is in another world." She realized that she was telling the truth. Her brother never looked away from the mirror as he admired his reflection even after she had almost pulled his arm out of socket.

"They've started again." She left quickly, trotting down the steps with Rini along side her. She tripped on the edge of the rug, tumbling into the dining room. She groaned, rubbing her head. Her fingers gripped the table as support to pull herself off the floor.

She was shocked to her mother sitting right where she was. She seemed not to care that her child just had a mouthful of carpet for breakfast. She didn't rush to help her or ask if she was ok. She was enthralled by her reflection.

"Mom?" the blonde tried to get her attention by waving her hand in her face. The middle aged woman did nothing more than fuss with her hair.

"What do you think? Hair up or down?" she held out the mirror in one hand while lifting her locks with the other.

Fishing for her locket, she opened it to communicate with the others.

"Attention all Scouts! Attention! Be on guard. The enemy is on the move again. They've put a spell on mirrors! Do not look into a mirror. I repeat, DO NOT look at your reflection! Find my location immediately!"

Jumping to her feet, she ran for the door. "Luna, find the others and lead them to me." She commanded her guide. Flying out the door, she suddenly stopped.

"Rini." She had forgotten the child. Turning back, she gasped when she saw that Rini had fallen under the spell as well.

She caught her faint reflection in the window near the front door. She let out a giddy laugh, twirling around, doing different moves as if she was in a beauty pageant. Blowing a kiss to herself told Serena that she was just as far gone as the rest of her family.

Rushing out, she made her way to Center City. Hopefully the others weren't in the same situation.

* * *

"What a happy way to go. Entranced by your own beauty that you could care less about anything else but yourself." The beautiful woman pinned the last layer of her hair, completing the style of the day.

"And how is this any different from Manda's?" Tempest refused to fail a second time.

"Well unlike my lazy sister, I thought everything through. My spell doesn't work while someone is unconscious. Instead it is enveloped into every day objects in this world. Anything that can capture their reflection; whether it be a mirror, a window, a pool of water; it can be clear or blurry, as long as you can identify yourself, you're hooked."

The sorceress laughed, amazed by her genius plan. "And what makes it even better, it doesn't matter what they were doing at the time when their reflection is caught. Someone could have been driving when they looked into the rear view mirror to fix their make-up or cooking a fabulous coconut soufflé in the oven when suddenly the sterling silver ladle was lifted and ta-da!" She did a once over, spinning around. She declared that she had never looked more desirable.

"So there will be more casualties." Brie sampled the chocolate that she made earlier that morning. "Very good." She commented more so the chocolate than her sister's plan.

"And this process will be a lot faster." Her smile dimmed when her personal mirror distorted her image.

Anger started to simmer inside her. "That little bitch." She hissed. She watched as the same blonde with a strange taste in fashion run through the streets.

She could feel heat boiling under her skin; she bared her teeth. "How the fuck did she get away!" enraged, she slammed her fist against the frame. The action made it shake violently as if it were going to break.

"Get rid of her Vani!" Her "commanding officer" barked.

"With pleasure."

* * *

(*) I like Thumbelina… leave me alone! XD

A/n: Special Thanks to Paula and Phedre Serenity Rosamund for being the first to review my story...(tear) it means a lot! :)

Please review!


	5. House of Mirrors

Chapter 5: House of Mirrors

Sailor Moon walked passed dozens of people. Her heart thundered in her chest; the insanity that was portrayed, the destruction. She was devastated.

People stopped in every place possible; anywhere that a glimpse of their image could be captured in. They stopped at window shops, side mirrors of parked or crashed cars and buses. Whether it were sunglasses, or the back of stop sighs, people were spellbound to look at their reflection; commenting on their looks, bragging that they was better than the rest of the world.

Several collisions littered the streets and there was no help in sight. She prayed that no one was serious hurt though the people involved in the wreckage cared more about if they "still looked good" than their physical condition.

"Sailor Moon!"

"Oh, thank God." She let out the breath that she was holding after hearing Luna's voice. But her relief turned back into worry when only Sailor Uranus and Sailor Jupiter came along.

"What happened to Michelle?" She was surprised that the violinist beauty wasn't with the other. "And what happened to your face? And why are you covered in soot?" she was looking between the two warriors and the state they were in.

Uranus huffed at the questions. She looked around at the destruction; she couldn't believe that so much had happen in a short amount of time. "By the time we got your message, it was already too late. Michelle was already primping for the day."

She gingerly touched the broken skin on her face, wiping away the blood stain. "She got violent when I pulled her away from the bedroom mirror. She back handed me and her ring caught me."

"I just pulled a woman out of a burning house." Jupiter explained the reason for her condition. "It was insane; she was standing in the kitchen looking at herself in the damn toaster." She rubbed away the dirt.

"Luna filled us in on what's happening." The brunette spoke again. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, I did have a plan on covering up the mirrors, maybe that would snap them out of it. But since you said that Michelle became physical with you, I think we need to reevaluate.

"But what? How do we stop this?"

"You can't." The three women turned to the strange woman in purple standing on one of the car piles. Her burgundy hair was wrapped high, into the shape of a bee hive. Smokey grey eyes glared at them as she walked down the cars. Diamond chains wrapped around from her wrists to her waist, winking in the light of the fire.

"My, my, my. Who do we have here?" Her sickening sweet voice sang in the air. "The famous Sailor Scouts. Where's the rest of your posse?" Gracing them with a mocking smile didn't win her the welcome wagon.

"Who the hell are you! " Jupiter shouted, raising her fist to fight if the intruder came any closer.

"The name's Vani sugar." She winked at her, placing a hand on her hip. "You like my creation?" she gestured to the destruction around her and the people who's souls she altered.

"You're behind all of this, you bitch!" Uranus cursed at her. Vani's face looked as though she was hurt by her words.

"Such vulgarity coming from a pretty lady is quiet unbecoming and so unnecessary, don't you think?"

"I'll show you what's unnecessary." Done with chit-chatting, Jupiter attacked head on. Her lightening strike was fueled by her anger, targeting the woman.

"Being a little reckless aren't we?" she murmured. She didn't even try to run as the attack hit her directly, and then bounced off her with just as much ferocity.

"Move!" Uranus pushed the others to the side as the lightening hurled towards the Scouts, damaging the building behind them.

"What the…?" Jupiter was confused just as the rest of them. A wicked laughed erupted from Vani.

"This is just too fun." She giggled. Her hand began to shimmer; a purple hand mirror appeared in front of the place were she was hit. "Did you really think that I would come here without protection? You're even dumber than I gave you credit for."

The laughter in her eyes faded, her face turned solemn. "You thwarted my sister. But I'm better and you _won't _beat me."

The glowing mirror was the last thing that Sailor Moon and the others saw before they were swept away to another universe.

* * *

The young woman sat on the arm of the throne. She crossed and uncrossed her legs and the ankles, rubbing the heels of her brown knee high boots. She sang a tune that was forever stuck in her head.

"..._Let me take you far beyond the stars…We'll see the universe and dance on Saturn's rings… Fly with me and I will be your wings_."

"A lovely singing voice." The woman stopped the music. She didn't like it when others heard her. "Don't stop on my account."

The man cloaked in black walked slowly around her. She wasn't sure how she felt about the man; she had a very hard time reading what he was thinking seeing as how he never showed his body or face.

"What can I do for you today?" he asked as pleasantly as he could.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" the subject had been on her mind since he had shown himself weeks prior, telling her of his plan.

"I needed someone that was strong enough to take down the Sailor Scouts so I chose you."

"There are others like me that could have gotten the job done." Not satisfied, she got up to leave. She was stopped by his arm blocking her from advancing.

"Also, since I will soon be king of this world, I need a queen by my side. And a woman of your caliber would be a perfect match."

"So that's what this is? A dating service? An arranged marriage?" she scoffed pushing passed his arm. "No thank you." she bounced down the platform stairs. She wanted no part in becoming his mate.

"Princess…" Dark eyes glared into the shadows.

"_Do not_ call me that!" she snapped, growling in the process. "I am not a prin…" her words were cut off. A gloved hand wrapped around her neck, deliberately cutting off her air flow.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" the muffled voice rumbled in fury. "Who do you think gave you your powers!"

The girl struggled to breath. She grabbed the hand that held her captive. Her feet dangled above the ground.

"Aside from_ not_ being my bride, I can live with that. But you are a princess and you will stay a princess until I say otherwise. Do I make myself clear?"

A small yes was weakly generated. She was finally released and left on the ground, heaving and couching violently. As her lungs desperately tried to fill oxygen, her conscious was asking what she got herself into.

* * *

A groggy moan floated out of Sailor Moon's mouth as she came to. Her eyes fluttered opened. As her vision cleared, the first thing she saw was her reflection. Panicking, one would have thought she had gotten whiplash by how fast she turned her head.

"You're up. Finally." Uranus sarcastically said. Jupiter was at her side. The blonde realized that they were in darkness and the only light beaming was around the multitude of mirrors.

"What's going on?" The bewildered teen was trying to gather her bearings.

"Apparently we've been sucked into another universe. It's a maze full of mirrors. " Uranus stood alongside her fellow scouts. "I've tried to go through, but each time I've gotten lost. And there's something else in there. I don't know what, but it's something big."

"There's no other way to get out?" Sailor Moon received a no from both girls.

"Its like a never-ending cycle if you go out into the darkness." Jupiter sighed. "I just end up coming out on the other end. It was like I never left the spot."

"We have to go through that maze."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"But Sailor Moon, it's dangerous. We don't know what's in there."

"So while we're standing around pondering how to avoid what we already know we can't, Vani and her sisters are wreaking havoc on Earth." The blonde broke free of her friend's hold. She walked over to the maze.

"We don't have a choice." She called out, not looking back as she entered without them.

"What's gotten into her?" Uranus ran after the princess; Jupiter was closing in on her. "What happened to that crybaby I've grown to tolerate?"

"I think she's grown up now."

The scouts moved with caution. Copies of them appeared in the walls, showing every angle. All of them were trick mirrors, each different. The scouts appeared to be short, tall, fat, skinny. Limbs were longer, heads were twisted; faces were distorted. It was like being in a funhouse; though none of them were having any fun.

They realized soon enough how hard it was to navigate through the labyrinth. Often times, they would bump into a wall or run into a dead end and would have to start over and then forget where they had left off.

"We're going to die in here."

"Wow, Uranus. Way to be optimistic." Jupiter rolled her eyes as they continued down an unknown path.

"We keep going back in the same direction. We can't even cheat and jump over the walls because of this damn force field."

Sailor Moon started to pay attention to the sound of her voice. A slight trimmer of hysteria was there.

"Uranus?" She stopped and turn to face her. "Is this bothering you?" she knew that the question was vague, but she figured that she would be able to understand.

The racer said nothing but continued to walk aimlessly, trying to find a way out.

"I hate funhouses." She admitted suddenly. "Well, not funhouses in general. I don't like anything that has to do with circuses."

The others were shocked. Not by what she was afraid of, but by the fact that she_ told_ them. Uranus always portrayed the persona of the tough gal and nothing troubled her. This was probably the first time that she had opened up to them.

Not liking the calm silence, Uranus hunched her shoulders slightly, thinking that they were mocking her for having such a weakness.

"It's the clowns isn't it?" the tomboy's ear's perked up. Jupiter nodded her head, understanding her situation. "I hear ya on that one." She looked over her shoulder. "I can't stand them. Something about their faces gives me the creeps." She gave her a big cheesy grin.

Uranus let out a soft gasp. They weren't laughing at her?

"I like the food and the animals." The blond princess squealed. "I think they are too cute!"

"You always like food." the other laughed as they bounded the corner. It seemed as if they were going in the right direction down the hall of endless glass.

No, they were not laughing at her; they were trying to make her feel better and not feel ashamed. Uranus would have given herself the time to feel some type of joy, but she didn't have that luxury.

A rumbling sound came up from behind them.

Uranus was the first to react. Pushing the two in front into the walls, she whirled around, bracing her body to catch her own attack.

The force pushed her back from her original spot. Her legs buckled causing her to lose focus. The orange globe rammed into her stomach, knocking her into one of the mirrors.

"Sailor Uranus!" Sailor Moon ran to her while Jupiter stayed behind, focusing in the distance to see who was now in the maze with them.

Her eyes widen in shock. She did a double take; looking back and forth to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"You've got to be kidding me?" She murmured, glowering at the copy of the injured scout. The other stopped just a few feet away. She lifted a crocked finger, beckoning her to the challenge.

"Damn you!" hot-tempered as always, she charged head on. Learning her lesson the first time, she didn't use her powers, but her fists instead. Packing heat behind every punch and kick., 'Uranus' struggled to keep up.

Doing a sweeping kick, she finally caught her off guard. A spark of satisfaction glimmered when she hit the ground hard. She was seconds from delivering the final blow, ending the fight once and for all. She didn't see the arms reaching behind her from the mirror.

"Jupiter! Look out!" The frantic cries reached her a little too late. Surprised by the sneak attack, Jupiter was hauled back at full speed. She cried out in anguish when she was slammed again the glass. Her lifeless body collapsed to the ground. She went in and out of consciousness; she didn't see her own double walk out of the mirror.

Without missing a beat, her copy slammed her boot deep in between her ribs sending her tumbling over to the other girls.

"Oh no!" Sailor Moon watched helplessly as her friend curled up in a fetal position, it seemed that she couldn't absorb oxygen in her lungs as she gasped desperately for it.

"I'm ok." She managed to say, but that didn't ease her nerves. "We have to move…" Jupiter struggled to get up.

Sinister laughs echoed throughout the maze. They watched in fear as the two figures melted back into the mirrors. It wasn't long before lightening began to whip out.

"Now!" All of them scrambled to their feet, dodging the bolt by mere seconds.

For several minutes of running for their lives; orange globes and lightening bolts zigzagged between the mirrors cutting them off at every turn. They had no defense; no matter what attack they used, it would get absorbed and thrown back at them instantly.

It was clear that they were doing nothing but toying with them; so many attacks and only a few times were they hit. They were trying to lead them down the wrong way so they would be trapped forever.

The girls knew they weren't going to last much longer; their bodies were breaking under the stress and injuries. The question of how long could they keep this up ran through everyone's minds.

They were too focused on running to notice that it was silent.

"Stop." Sailor Moon commanded realizing that the chase had ceased. The others took her advice, relishing in the opportunity to rest.

"This is never going to stop." Jupiter concluded. They had never faced anything like this. They couldn't even fight back and that's what was really pissing her off. She would rather fight a good battle and lose than to be running away like a coward.

But what could be done? Their enemies were in fact mirrors.

"We're just running around in…" her sentence was cut off when two hands shot out; their fingers wrapping tightly around her neck.

"Jupiter!" the two blondes cried in helplessness. They didn't even get a chance to get to her as the same treatment was delivered to them.

It seemed like this would be the end of the three scouts, their minds going blank; their lungs and brains screamed for air.

Tears began to spill from the princess's eyes. They were going to die here? And what about the world? Would it perish as well?

Images of her friends flashed in her mind, her family, Darien and Rini. She would never see them again.

Trembling hands reached behind her, pulling out her wand. There was no way she was going down like this. She gave it all she had; swinging up and behind, the head of her wand hit the glass. She didn't feel the vise grip loosen as she repeated her steps. This time the glass shattered.

Shrieking rang in their ears as they were all let go. The girls laid on the ground, coughing violently. Their breathing was shallow and rapid as they struggled for air.

"Why didn't we think of that sooner?" Sailor Moon asked herself. She looked down at her wand and smiled. This was the second battle that she had used the device as a hammer.

Being the first to get up she went to work smashing a second mirror, then a third just as the hands reached out again, ready to snatch Uranus and Jupiter.

She twirled the wand like a majorette, fisting the other hand on a cocked hip. "Thank goodness that I have my two strongest scouts to help me get this job done."

She waited until they were to their feet. Weary but ready for a fight, the two waited for instructions.

"The heart is in one of these mirrors." She stated, sweeping her hand up and down the hall. "Smash 'em all."

"Gladly." Uranus cracked her knuckles before sending her fist into it; her reflection split, cracked, and finally scattered to the ground.

Sailor Moon listened, while kicks and punches were flaying, shrieks turned into sobbing as glass flew around them; finally they had the upper hand and the three were relentless, _especially_ the two hot-tempered ones.

She left them to their own destruction, following the sound of the soft crying. She thought it was her imagination, but it grew louder and louder

She paused in front on her own reflection where the sobbing emitted from. Swing her wand like a baseball bat; a bright flash of purple blinded her. The ground rumbled underneath her feet before giving way. She plummeted into darkness.

* * *

Serena groaned. There was no waking up in shock, no cold sweat running down her body. She laid in silence. A thought crossed her mind that there was a connection between her dreams, her unknown daughter, and the hearts of the demons.

Her eyes remained shut as she fumbled for the house phone on the night stand. Her fingers slid over the buttons, pressing the numbers by memorization.

"Hello?" an irritated voice answered back.

"Sailor Scout emergency meeting. Call everyone now and meet at my house. No questions Mina, just do it."

And she hung up.

Waking up to the same day…again! She wondered just how long this week was going to last.

* * *

It seems like beating the new enemy is a piece of cake as two sisters bite the dust but one more seems to be making her debut! What will happen next for our Sailor Scouts?

TBC...

A/n: I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving...I had two! (dinners that is) SO I'm out of my turkey coma long enough to update. LOL! :D


	6. Seven plus One equals Disaster

**Mangalover: Hope everyone enjoyed bringing in the new year! I partyed hard for two days (I'm surprise I'm still stand...well sitting. LOL!)**

**XD Happy 2011!**

Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Seven plus One equals Disaster.

Vani's screams were like nails to a chalk board. Her stormy gray eyes turned red, veins coiled around her neck and arms. This side of her was far from pretty.

"This is unbelievable!" she fumed, ramming her palms against her reflecting glass. "Those stupid bitches!" Turning to face her sisters, she wasn't surprised that they were standing at the opposite end of the tower. Even Tempest was unnerved by her.

"Van, calm down." Brie got the nerve to walk over. She poured a red liquid into the gold cup.

"I don't want to fucking calm down!" She snatched the cup from sister's chubby hand, throwing it against the stone wall.

"Hey! There's no need to waste that!"

"Oh shut up!" she snapped at her younger sister. "Who the hell is worried about your stupid drink, huh? This is about me!" Out of rage, she shoved her. "I lost! Don't you get that?" She felt like her world was crumbling._ She_ was the best; she prided herself to be the best out of all her sisters. She never lost.

Never!

"Well, first time for everything, so don't take you anger out on me." Brie puffed up. She was the most sensitive out of their dysfunctional family. "I didn't do anything to you so don't push me." She whined softly.

"I don't lose! Ever!" testing her patience, she pushed her again; harder this time.

Emotions flying off the handle, Brie grabbed her wrist, catching the self proclaimed diva off guard. She flipped her over her shoulder, slamming her to the ground.

Vani landed hard with an audible thud. Her pride crumbled away by her sisters' snickering. Adding insult to injury, Brie stepped on the train of her dress when she began to get up. The sound of fabric ripping stabbed Vani in the heart.

"Damn you! This is vintage couture!" she felt like crying. She had lost her first fight, her favorite dress was ruined, and none of her sisters were tending to her like they should have been.

"Well that was entertaining." There was humor in the unknown voice. Eyes narrowed when the intruder came into their domain.

"Who are you?" Tempest approached her.

"I'm the master's right hand."

"Chill, Temp." Amora inspected her fingernails. "She's just the master's pet." The woman glared, noting her intentional insult.

Tempest crossed her arms. "Has the master sent you to check in on us?"

"He doesn't even know I'm here." She looked around the tower. It was barren, holding nothing within its walls but the seven sisters and massive craved out holes acting as windows.

"So this is where you all decided to stake out." She turned up her nose. "Not much to look at."

"We don't need the requirements that you humans need." She glared as the woman continued to walk around as if she were welcomed. "What it is that you want?" she snapped out the question, losing her patience.

"I came here to help." The uninvited guest sat on an open sill. "I've noticed that there have been two battles and so far you haven't been victorious."

"Stating the obvious? Are you mocking us?" Tamanna frowned, leaning against the wall. She was tempted to push her out the window.

"No, of course not. We're on the same team after all. I just came to give you some sound advice." She waited a beat, making sure that she had their attention.

"The scouts are on to you; I thought you needed to know that. They've figured out what they have to do to defeat you. It would be a waste of time to go out there again. And attacking the public will only make them even more suspicious. If you wanna take over, you're going to have to get rid of them first."

"I thought that's what we were trying to do?" Vani sneered. She didn't need some outsider telling her and her sisters what they needed to do.

"So what do you propose we do?" Tempest asked.

The girl shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not here to tell you _what_ to do. I'm just…"

"Then you're wasting my time!"

"No need to yell." She said calmly. She got up to leave, feeling that she had overstayed her welcome. She took her time in making her exit. "That blond meatball head has the purest heart of all of them. None of your spells will work on her. But she does like food, especially sweets. And she has a boyfriend and they're kinda missing the joy of taking their relationship to the next step."

She was halfway through the door when she turned back. "Oh, and combining your spell might help too, but you know, that's just my opinion."

With a small click of the door, she was out of their sight.

The sisters looked between each other, soaking in the new information.

Amora smirked, "That's sneaky little bitch."

* * *

It was so early in the day that everyone was somewhat cranky when they arrived at Serena's residence. All of them fitted comfortably in her living room.

"I wish you people would stop complaining." Serena came back with coffee, juice, and cinnamon buns her mother freshly made before leaving to run her morning errands.

"Well you didn't have to call at six in the morning." Mina reached a bun. She took a huge angry bite out of it.

"_You didn't_ watch helplessly as your friends almost die alongside you by your own hands. _You didn't_ see your boyfriend get crushed by Corduroy on crack. _You didn't_ relive two days twice in a row! So _don't_ tell me what_ I_ _didn't _have to do!"

The rest remained silent, somewhat shocked by her sudden outburst. Darien said nothing but grabbed her by her wrist. Tugging gently, he led her to the seat beside him on the couch.

"Sorry." She pressed fingers to her eyes; a horrible headache was coming on. Tending to her, Rini poured her a glass of orange. "Thanks." She said quietly. She was grateful to have something to soothe her burning throat. She was fine but it still felt like those fingers were around her throat.

"I have a lot to say." She began. "So I would really appreciate if everyone would bear with me." There were nods of understanding. Letting out a long sigh, Serena began to fill them in on the last fight, her dreams, and her theory on how the two were connected.

Once she was finished, the room was silent. Everyone was taking everything in at once; it was quite overwhelming to say the least.

"So it's true then?" was the first question that was asked by Darien; taken aback that the girl that his girlfriend was dreaming about was indeed their other child. He turned to the other one. "Why didn't you say anything? You've never told us."

Rini kicked her feet until her heels hit the couch. "I don't know." She shrugged. She really didn't have an answer. She just never thought of talking about Wynter.

"And you think that she's trying to give you messages on how to defeat these witches." Raye was still trying to make sense of everything. She decided to tackle one thing at a time.

Serena nodded her head. "Or something like that."

"Explain the dreams to us Serena." Amy pulled out her notebook again. "We need a better understanding of how they connect."

"Ok, the first dream, I woke up to the sound of her voice. When I found her, she asked if she had wakened me by her singing. The second dream… well…" she paused, hesitant to go further. "I don't think that one matters." She said as a slight blush lit on her face.

"Every bit counts." Amy pressed on.

She gulped, blushing even harder. "The second dream I was going through a lot of pain because I…I was giving birth to Rini."

"Oh my God!" Rini covered her ears. "My ears! My innocent ears!" She didn't need to hear that sort of information.

"Shut it Rini." She was embarrassed as it was, she didn't need her commentary. "Anyways, my body was really tired and I blacked out. When I came to, she was born." She stopped, letting Amy catch up with her notes.

"After that Wynter, that's her name," she stopped, looking up at her beloved. "Wynter."

Nothing but love showed in his dark eyes as he smiled. Serena blushed again, turning back to the girls. "She asked if she could hold her and Darien…er… the King asked her if she knew what it meant to be a big sister and she vowed to protect and love her."

"And that's when the first fight happened."

"Yeah." She confirmed. "The last dream I ended back in her room, oh her room! I remembered when I went into her room in the first dream, there were colors of blue, pink, red, purple, yellow and green but when I went in the second dream, blue was gone."

"Ok. Keep going."

"Ok, so she was in her room, crying because she couldn't style her hair to look like mine and Rini's. You know with the buns." She patted hers with both hands.

"Hm…she wanted to be a meatball head too. She must be Serena's daughter." Raye teased, lightening the tension in the room as everyone laughed.

"That's right." She stuck her tongue out playfully. "Her hair is really thick and wavy so it was complicated. But she though she wouldn't be beautiful if she didn't have it that way."

"She wears her hair like Mama's but there are braids in her buns. Mama helped her style it like that." Rini added on.

"Is that all?"

"Yeah."

Amy was silent as she cross referenced her notes from the day before. Her brain was going a mile a minute.

Serena felt more at ease that she devoured her first cinnamon bun and took another.

"This is crazy." Mina stamped her foot. Disgusted by the whole situation. "What the hell are we supposed to do? It would be different if we were dealing with the Negaverse. We know how to handle them. We've never faced foes like them before. This is a whole different can of worms we're messing with here."

"The worst part is that the day starts over once the spell is broken." Amara picked up her cup of coffee. "That's means they might repeat the spell and start over again, next time making sure that we don't survive."

"I don't think so." Trista began. "If they could repeat the spell, they would. I think once it's broken, it's broken for good."

"Yeah, but who knows how many of those fuckers are out there." She winced, remembering who was in the room. "Sorry Rini."

"It's ok." The pink haired child smiled, petting her gray cat.

"That's true." She watched as Amy fiddled with her mini computer. "Any luck on the info you got."

"I have an idea, but I don't know how sound it is." Setting down her computer, she polished off her thoughts.

"Ok, building off of Serena's thoughts that our new enemy and her dreams are connected, this is what I've come up with. The first and second dreams are connected with the first fight. Singing is what led you to the heart of the monster. Also, the monster was sleepy, tired which you described as being in your second dream and as you said a never-ending sleeping spell was cast on all of us except for you, but, at the moment, I can't explain how you and Darien were the only ones to escape it.

"The third dream connects to the second battle. Wynter was trying to look her best, shooting herself down because she didn't feel she was pretty enough. As the saying goes, we can be our own worst enemies. That rang true for the three of you when you fought against your reflections. And the sounds of crying led you to the second heart."

Amy lifted up her notebook, showing them a sketch of her two logic diagram. Everything in short hand was connected by a line, forming an odd shaped tree.

"That's all fine and well, but that doesn't give us much." Michelle sipped her now lukewarm coffee.

"It will once I add the last pieces." She went to the first diagram and started to write. "_Mandara_, in one culture, the meaning of the name is 'slow'."

"Yeah, so?" Lita was becoming anxious.

"And with all the mirrors that were used in the second battle, the spell that was cast, their personalities and add a few more letters onto Vani's name and you get..." She stopped, scribbling down her last notes in capital letters.

"Sloth and Vanity." Darien leaned over her shoulder, reading the bold, underlined words aloud. "Those are two of the seven deadly sins."

"Exactly. I think we're dealing with sorceresses whose powers represent one of the seven deadly sins."

"Awesome work!" Mina shouted, patting her hard on the back.

"I really didn't do anything." The genius blushed in awkwardness. "Besides, I really don't know if this is even true until Serena has another dream."

"Why me?"

"You've had two dreams, all of which were clues to who we were up against and how to find the heart to destroy the monster and break the spell."

Serena felt her stomach drop. "So I'm the key."

"You make it sound like this is something new to you." Raye reached over to pluck the blonde's toes. "You're always the key girl. It's your destiny to save the world."

She smiled, looking up at everyone; she saw the confidence in everyone's eyes. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

* * *

Three days passed since that meeting. Everything was peaceful; there wasn't a sign of the seven sisters. It didn't mean that the war was over, it just meant that the enemy had regroup; plotting on what to do next.

It worried Serena because she felt everything was riding on her. Everyone was waiting on her next dream for a clue that would bring them a step closer to figuring out who was going to be their next opponent and how to counter them.

The problem was she hadn't had a dream since then. It wasn't like she wasn't trying. This time she was looking forward to another lost memory of her daughter, Wynter. But she was at a lost as to why she wasn't getting anymore dreams.

She was beside herself, sitting crossed legged on the floor. She flipped through a newspaper. A small dark cloud of depression was hovering over her head.

She felt as though she was failing her team. Everyone was counting her and she couldn't even produce one single dream.

"What kind of leader am I?" she quietly asked herself.

"A damn good one." Her boyfriend confirmed, coming out of the kitchen with two mugs of hot chocolate.

She smiled, gladly taking the sweet beverage though she didn't drink it; she put it to the side.

Darien sat on the couch. He was banking on the hot chocolate to lift her spirits. "Don't beat yourself over this. It's not your fault."

"But any other time it would be fine, but now I'm not getting anything."

"Maybe it's because you're looking for it." His hand found her shoulder beneath the mass of golden hair. "You need to just relax. It'll come to you when you least expect it."

Those comforting words alleviated her fears so much that she took a gulp of hot chocolate. Letting the warm goodness run down her throat.

She got up to sit next to him on the couch, grabbing the small colorful flyers of advertisements before handing over the newspaper.

She snuggled close as she leafed through, noting different clothing sales, but not exactly what she was looking for.

"Yes!" she jumped up, dropping all the flyers except of one that she hung on for dear life.

Darien shook his head, sipping some of his drinking. He had a hunch he knew what she was so happy about.

"The 18th Annual City Food Festival!" she squealed in delight. She flopped into Darien's lap waving in the paper in his face. "We must go this weekend!" she sounded desperate and excited all at the same time.

"Don't you go every year?" he chuckled. Her blue eyes brightened like a kid in a candy shop.

"Yeah, but _we've_ never gone together."

"Serena, you do know that I'm a student right?" he could just see it now, her large appetite would get the better of her and he would be in debt before the day was over. He might have to sell a kidney just to pay off half of what he would own.

"Shut up." She pushed him lightly. "You won't need to pay for anything." She told him. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Is that so? And how would that be possible?"

"Because I'm a preferred customer. Most of the booth's owners remember me from the pervious years and they let me sample some of their new products for them. They value me expertise." she giggled when he slowly shook his head.

"What?"

"You never cease to amaze me."

"So does that mean you're coming this year with me? It's a lot of fun." She crossed her arms when he said nothing. Instead he played with her hair.

"You know, I've never noticed how long your hair was until now." This was the first time that he had seen her hair completely down. She had gotten rid of her normal hair style letting it flow freely. He wrapped his fingers around the soft tresses.

"Don't change the subject." She batted his hands away.

"And I was expecting to see crescent moons tonight." He joked.

Her face flushed a bright pink. There was no way she was going to wear her purple pajamas in front of him. She never did. She always managed to find jersey fabric shorts and a tank top in the back of her dresser when she came to sleep over.

"What are you doing?" she yelped in surprise when he got up, carrying her with him.

"Taking you to bed…calm down." He said when her body stiffened in his arms. "I'm not planning on doing anything. It's past two in the morning and I have to go to work in the next seven hours."

He closed the door with his foot. He laid her gently on the pillows before climbing in next to her. Pulling the sheets over them, Darien pulled her close to his frame.

"You never answered me." She poked out her lip when he plucked her nose.

"Sleep well, my love." That was the last thing he said before drifting off. Sighing, his mate followed his lead.


	7. Gimme, Gimme More

Chapter 7: Gimme, Gimme More

_Serena walked down the halls of the Moon Palace. This time people were around. Stopping to bow or curtsey before her, she was having some fun being treated like a queen. _

_She let herself be guided by her feet, just as always. She ended up outside. Nothing but luscious green grass as wide and far as the eye could see. The scenery was gorgeous, though what catch her attention were the sounds of metal clashed over in the distance. Seeing nothing around her, she started to walk towards where it was coming from. _

_She stopped on the top of the hill. Rini sat a ways down watching an intense training session. As she walked down closer, she could hear the blades slicing through the air, harsh curses and grunts coming from both her husband and daughter as they fought an even match._

_Sitting down on the grass, her other child took the opportunity to climb into her lap. She was surprised to see the young teen wielded the heavy sword like it was a feather. Twirling and tossing it between her hands, she charged hurriedly, thrashing her sword. The King blocked every hit with ease. _

"_Never fight out of anger, Wynter. It will cloud your judgment." She stumbled back when he brought his own blade down. _

"_I'm not!" she glared. Leaping over his head, she spun around hoping that her momentum would catch him off balanced. It didn't. _

_With a flick of his wrist, he disarmed her, sending her sword across the field. The blade was embedded at the bottom of the grassy hill. _

_Sweat dripping from her brow, she tried to catch her breath. Staring at the tip that pointed at her throat let her know that she had lost. Anger and shame overwhelmed her. _

"_I told you that it would cloud your judgment." He lowered the blade, sheathing it. "That's enough for now." _

_Serena watched her jaw tightened when her father began to walk away. In a flash, she grabbed her sword again, posing in a guarded stance. _

"_Again." She persisted. He stopped to turn. Seeing the determination on her face didn't deter him from his pervious decision. _

"_We agreed on 3 out of 5." Dark eyes narrowed when she refused to let it go. "We're done for today, Wynter." His voice became stern. It seemed that now she was older, they went through this every time she was defeated._

"_No, we're not." He gave her a weary expression when tears welded up. _

"_What is your sudden fascination of this excessive training?" _

"_If you loved me than you wouldn't ask me that." _

_Serena frowned. His love for her would be proven if he continued to fight her? If that wasn't a classic teenage outburst, she didn't know what was. _

"_Wynter…"_

"_Just forget it!" In a fit, she threw her weapon, stomping past her mother and sister as she went up the hill. "None of you understand how I feel!" _

_The blonde was unsure of what to do. Should she comfort her daughter or her husband? It was obvious that she was upset about something that she didn't care to reveal to them and by the look on his face he knew why. _

_She felt out of the loop. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but everything began to blur, fade away, and became dark. _

_

* * *

_

She didn't open her eyes, hoping that she could fall back asleep. This was the first time she wanted to see what would happen next. Not for the mission but because she wanted to know more about the long lost child. Maybe she could get more information out of Rini or she could force herself to have another dream. It didn't work before but there was still a chance.

"I wish you would be quiet." A soft groggy voice drifted in her ears. She felt a large hand stroke her back.

"I wasn't talking." She sulked, but snuggled against him.

"You were _thinking _very loudly." His hand never stopped roaming. "What wrong this time?"

"You were right. The dream just came to me once I stopped overreacting."

"Hmm. What did you dream?" He was fully awake, but like the woman in his arms, he kept his eyes closed. Enjoying the embrace, he listened to the whisper soft sound of her voice.

"I ended outside this time and I watched as the King was training Wynter in sword fighting. She wasn't doing well because she was mad about something. She lost but wanted to go again. You could see that she was exhausted but she wanted to keep on fight. When he told her no, she threw a tantrum, saying that he didn't understand why she wanted to keep on fighting."

"And that was it?" Darien asked when she became silent. He snorted softly when he felt her nodding head on chest.

"It's not much to go on." She admitted. "Maybe there's more and I woke up too soon or maybe…"

"Or maybe it was just another memory that had nothing to do with finding clues about our enemy."

"But…"

"Don't worry about it. Just because you don't have clues." He stopped himself. "Scratch that. It's not your _job _to find clues _by yourself_. We'll manage so don't worry about it."

She let out a heavy sigh; those were the words that she needed to hear. That it was ok. That she wouldn't be blamed.

She wrapped her arms around his waist. Loving the way his body felt against hers. She wanted to stay there forever. But seeing the slight orange glow of the rising sun on the wall told her that it was about time for them to get up. She began to move away but was pulled back against him.

"Darien?"

"You think that I'm going to let you go now that we're in such a comfortable position?"

She was grateful that it was still dark in his bedroom knowing that her face was as red hot as she felt.

"But you have work." Her voice pitched a little when she felt him shift, trapping her snugly between him and the bed. She could've sworn she saw the impression of her heart thumping against her chest. She adverted away from his gaze.

"No I don't." he leaned down, kissing the side her neck. "Not yet anyways." he moved up to her jaw line. "The alarm didn't go off yet."

His heart rate quickened when she turned to face him. In the dim lighting, her seemingly dark eyes were filled with innocence, curiosity, and desire. Restraining himself he gave her a soft kiss, one that eased her worries and insecurities.

"I won't do anything that you don't want me to do." his low voice rippled over her flesh.

"You'll stop wh-when the alarm goes…goes off?" she stuttered. His finger nail raked gently against her skin. He went from her shoulder down to the tips of her fingers. From there it trailed down her side, hip, and leg and back up.

"If that's what you want." Playfully, he nibbled on her collarbone. He wasn't really waiting on confirmation. He just had a sick perversion of teasing his inexperienced loved one by making her hot and longing for more but just giving her a taste of what she could have…would have once she was ready for it.

His ears picked up to her soft moans, her breathing becoming more rapid. He trailed up her neck once again, putting his mark on her. He felt slim fingers glide through his hair gripping at the roots repeatedly then letting go. He shifted again, this time hovering completely over her.

Serena was nervous; who knew how much time would elapse before the alarm went off. How far would they progress? What if she didn't want to stop? Would that be a good thing or bad thing?

"Hm, you're still thinking. I must not be doing my job correctly." She opened her mouth to speak but was quickly quieted by his lips. Rougher than the last one. Longer. Deeper. Her body was quickly responding to the gesture.

Darien broke the kiss, bracing himself with his arms so that he wouldn't put all his weight on her. Blue eyes were now glassy, lips were red and slightly swollen. Her blonde hair pooled around like a mermaid underwater. He was enticed by the sight of her

"Do you have time to _think_ now?" he smirked before claiming his prize once again.

Sensing that she didn't know what to do with her hands, he gently cuffed them above her head. Realization hit him that he now had the opportunity to ravish her body. He decided against it, afraid that she wasn't ready for such a treatment and neither was he.

He continued the kiss while his hand trailed over her clothes. He was pleased when her body jerked when he brushed a pebbled nipple through her shirt or the untouched area between her thighs. Pleasing moans and soft gasps came and went as he continued his treatment.

Her body was burning; desire was crawling through her skin. She was becoming lightheaded, her breaths were coming out in short pants. She wasn't sure how much she could take. But something inside of her was craving more contact. She needed more stimulation.

Not knowing what else to do, her hips rose to meet his. His throaty groan of approval gave her the confidence to rub against him again.

She found what she was missing; that friction to ignite the spark inside of her. She moaned between kisses, that spark kindled into a small flame; burning hotter and hotter. Her body was moving on its own. Wrapping her legs around his waist to keep close, they rocked in sync with one another.

Sweat beaded on their skin; moans melted into one as their pace quickened.

The blonde didn't know what she was doing. She didn't know if it was right or wrong, if she should try to touch him or say something. All she could think about was that she didn't want it to stop.

"Serena." Her head was buzzing; she was on fire. She had never felt this way with Darien before. "Serena." She heard her name again, but only when she didn't feel his body press to hers did she snap out of her haze.

Her head was really buzzing now, but it wasn't because she was about to climax. That damn alarm had sounded.

"Time's up." Her guy stated the obvious. He tried his hardest not to laugh when he saw her dazed and confused face.

"Wait…what?" she was flushed with passion. Finally getting control on her breathing and senses, she found herself alone in an empty bed. Darien had gotten up to shut off the machine.

"Wait." She wanted to sit up but she was completely numb.

"You asked me to stop when the alarm went off." He wasn't too happy himself. He was so close to bringing them both over the edge. But he was a man of his word and he wasn't going to pressure her, so he stopped.

"Yeah. But…" she didn't know what to say. She was so confused, and embarrassed as she started to remember most of those moans and grunts came from her. She felt hot, flustered and most of all… unsatisfied.

"Do you want to finish?" _God_, he wanted her to say yes. Just one word and he would take her far and beyond places she could never imagine.

She blushed at his words. _Did_ she want him to finish? She wasn't sure if she could answer that at the moment. Well, she could but that was only because her body was now craving something that it never had before. But was her heart craving the same thing?

She looked up and pouted when he gave her a teasing look.

"No!" she blushed harder. He was just playing with her.

Upset, she threw a pillow at him before bundling herself under the covers.

"If you say so." He watched over the lump in the middle of his bed a minute longer. Leaving for the bathroom, he knew for sure that he would be taking an extra cold one this morning.

* * *

Life seemed to be getting back to normal. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. People walked around her in the park. Children laughed and squealed as they played in the fountain nearby.

"Here you are, Miss." Serena paid for the cups of ice cream. Walking back to Rini who sat on the park bench, she handed her share of the cold dessert. She waited until the youngster had eaten a few mouthfuls. She wanted her to be as comfortable as possible before she asked her to reach into her memory bank and pull out some information.

"So what's this all about?" Rini didn't look up from her treat. She knew by how silent the blonde was that she was up to something.

"Can't I take you out for ice cream once in a while?" She didn't see the child roll her eyes at her but heard the snicker.

"Are you going to explain how you got those marks on your neck?"

Serena blushed, her hand automatically pressed at the place where Darien had marked her this morning. If she had known he was going to put them in spots that could be seen a mile away, she would have packed something that covered them. Instead she was stuck with a blue spaghetti strapped sun dress, unintentionally displaying them for the world to see.

"No…that's wasn't what I wanted to talk about." To make herself feel better, she scooped ice cream into her mouth. "Do you remember, back on the Moon Kingdom, on days when Wynter was training?"

"Yeah. When I didn't have to study, I would watch her."

"Did she seem, I don't know, persistent about it? Training, I mean." She could tell by the way Rini toyed with her spoon and bit her lower lip that she was holding on to something.

"You'll think differently of her."

"I'll try my best not to."

"When she found out that she had a special talent, she was ecstatic. She thought that with her powers, she could be a Scout. That's what she dreamed of becoming. She strived to be apart of that. But Mama wouldn't let her because she was already powerful. She craved to be the best fighter, the best defender and she felt that the only way she could be that was to become a Scout. It crushed her spirits.

"She worked hard. She pushed herself extremely hard because in her head, she wasn't the best until she beat the best and those were the people that trained her: Papa and the girls."

"So it was an obsession."

Rini shrugged, not knowing how to answer. She didn't want her beloved sister to be put in a bad light. She wouldn't say that she was obsessed with being the best. She was trying to find an outlet for her anger and disappointment.

Serena was putting everything together. Though she hesitated to speak her mind, afraid of how her company would take it.

"Did you see Wynter before you were sent back here?"

"No." she shook her head lightly. She poured the melted cream from her spoon back into the small decorative bowl. "I was only there for a short time and the Academy didn't let out for vacation."

"So she was probably told that you too are also a Sailor Scout."

"So?" she looked up at her, giving a suspicious look. She noticed as the older girl gripped the hem of her dress; the nervousness in her eyes. A light went off in her head. "She's not a part of this.".

"Rini it's a possibility. Everything fits." She felt guilty that she was accusing the person that she looked up to be a part of something evil.

"Yeah, if you didn't know Wynter!" Her outburst attracted onlookers. "I know her. She wouldn't do any of this!"

"Rini..." it hit her hard when she saw the pained look in those blue eyes. She reached out only to have her jump away.

"No! Don't pretend like you know her. A few dreams and you think you have her figured out!" As if throwing a fit wasn't enough, she _threw_ her cup of melted ice cream in her direction. The impact made it splash over her face and dress.

Saying nothing, Serena wiped the cream away from her cheek. She wasn't sure if she deserved it or not.

"Don't you dare say any of this to the others." Rini warned, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Don't try to pull them to your side and make Wynter out to be the bad guy. She's not. She would never try to hurt me or anyone else!"

Unable to stand the sight of her any longer, Rini ran. She ran fast and she ran far. Far from the person that accused Wynter of the unthinkable. Even though the evidence was there in her face, she wasn't going to ignore her heart that told her otherwise.

* * *

Amora fixed her smudged lipstick as she came through the door of her temporary home.

"Where the hell were you!" Was Tempest's loud greeting. She gave her a genuine smile.

"I was out enjoying this nice city." She walked passed her, humming a tune.

"Your hair's a mess." Her narcissistic sister pointed out. She pulled at her locks, shaking it out of the style it was in that morning.

"It was…really windy out?"

"Yeah right." she giggled as she went over to her. Vani pulled out her brush and got to work.

"Yes, laugh it up. While you're out gallivanting around, we're busting our asses trying to plan this thing out."

Amora ignored another one of Tempest's many raging rampages. She pulled down her corset, exposing more of her chest. She was in a good mood for the first time since she had arrived and there was nothing that was going to put her in a funk.

"It's not like this has anything to do with me. I'm not even apart of it this time." She went to touch her hair only to have it batted away.

"Besides, how do we even know that this plan is going to work? Combining our powers? We never did it before." She was venting out everything that was on her mind. "And what about that girl? How do we know that she's not going to take credit for our work or throw us under the bus?"

"Throw us under the bus?" Tamanna looked over her shoulder in confusion.

"It's a term that these humans use. It means that's she may leave us to take the blame if we fail and say it wasn't her idea."

"Don't worry you're pretty little head over it." The woman in question appeared in the room. "If things go wrong, I'll take full responsibility. And if you all success, the credit is all yours. You have my word." She raised a hand, her palm facing towards them as a sign of her vow.

"So why are you here?"

"Well, I thought I should be so considerate as to tell you that I will accompany you."

"Why?" They all spoke at once. One thing that The Seven didn't like was to be chaperoned and treated like children.

"Relax. I'm not going to supervise your performance. I just wanna say 'hi' to my little sister."


	8. A Drunken Scout Speaks a Sober Mind

Chapter 8: A Drunken Scout Speaks A Sober Mind

If she could do back flips, she would do it all the way down the street. The 18th Annual City Food Festival was back and bigger than ever. The different cuisines could be smelled from miles. Anything from traditional Japanese, to French, to Western; food from all across the globe had gathered into one place. It was heaven to Serena. She had to stop herself from dropping to her knees and start crying.

And the best part was she was sharing this experience with her entire family.

"Are you going to pass out of being overwhelmed by all this food?" Sammy poked his older sister in the ribs.

"You know I'm struggling." She laughed. She watched as the crowd of people roamed pass, paying a small price to sample a generous portion of delicious food. She couldn't help but drool.

"Alright, Serena." Her father grabbed her attention, waving about fifty dollars worth of carnival red tickets in his hand. Greedily, she snatched them all. He gave the same amount to her brother. "You kids enjoy yourselves." He called out, taking his wife by the arm; he led her into the immense crowd.

"Come on, Rini! You ready to chow down!" Sammy asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" and with that the two ran, giggling madly.

Surprised by how quick she got rid of the small ones and her parents. She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's rubbing her cheek lovingly against it.

"It's feels so nice now that we're alone." Her comment earned her collective exaggerated coughs. Just for a moment she had forgotten about her friends behind her. She did say that she came with her _entire_ family.

"Sorry to spoil your mood." Mina crossed her arms. She faked an expression of hurt and betrayal.

"I was talking to you all." She lied. She laughed softly when they gave her a look like they didn't believe her.

"Yeah right." Raye flicked her temple before walking away. The others joshed the blonde as they moved passed the couple, diving into the festival.

"Shall we go?" Darien gestured following the ladies.

Serena just knew that this was going to be a good day.

* * *

Several hours of laughing and talking with her best friends and best boyfriend in the world while eating the best foods, Serena definitely declared this the _best _day ever.

"If I eat one more thing, I'll explode." Amy held a hand to her slightly protruding stomach.

"I knew it was a good idea to not eat before I got here." Raye smiled as she polished off the last bite of paella. The Spanish dish was one of her favorites.

Everyone was in agreement. Eating an international feast fit of a king was now weighting heavily in their stomachs, but in a good way.

"Oh…my…" like a bloodhound, Serena raised her nose to the air, smelling out where the delicious scent was coming from.

"Whoa! Serena!" Darien yelled as he was being dragged by the greedy girl. She finally stopped a block down.

_Forget diamonds, cookies are definitely my best friend! _Serena thought in amazement, dazzled by all the assortment of cookies that were displayed.

"Oh my God." Mina gasped out. She had never seen so many treats in one spot. From chocolate chip, sugar and peanut butter, to coconut, thumbprint jellies, and snicker- doodles. There were drop cookies, rolled out cookies, cut out cookies. Animals, iced, cream filled. From flat to puffed up; small to huge.

The girls were about to pass out in sheer delight.

"Like what you see, pumpkins." The two looked up to see a cheery plump face woman. Her thick brown hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail showing off her almond shaped eyes and bright smile that flashed off her dimples. Her voluminous bust and voluptuous curves were covered by her pink apron.

"These cookies smell amazing." Serena praised.

"Well shoot, they better be. Made 'em myself from scratch just for today." She giggled. "Would ya'll like to buy some?" She reached behind the booth pulling out a pre-made pack. "You get five cookies for one ticket."

"Sounds great." Lita began. "But I don't have anymore." The others nodded their heads. They had spent all the money they had in their pockets today. They would just have to miss out this time.

"I have enough." Serena pulled out a stream of red from her pocket.

"How did you get all of those?" an incredulous brunette looked at the amount tickets that the blonde still had.

Darien hooked an arm around her shoulder. "That's because this little thing is a food connoisseur whore." He explained, laughing when she swished the tickets like a whip. "Mostly every booth that we went to recognized her and gave us free samples."

"I told you."

"We shoulda stuck with you then." Amara commented. She wasn't big on sweets but she couldn't resist the tantalizing smell.

"Yeah, well, this one it my treat. So pick something out." She just had enough for everyone to get there own; she pointed to the stack of chocolate chip cookies, handing the ribbon to the owner. She grinned as they all wasted no time unwrapping their cookies taking a bit out of one.

"These are delicious." Serena moaned in pleasure. "Thank you!" she called out. Waving to her as she walked away to catch up with her friends.

"Now, ya'll enjoy those." Brie waved back. Still smiling, she nibbled on one of the cookies. It would only take one bite for her sister's spell to take effect. Even though she sprinkled it on just two of the stacks, it wouldn't matter who ate the poisonous treat. It only took for one of them to be infected. After that…well, that was up to the new girl.

* * *

After a full day of fun and festivities, the gang would have usually spilt up and go their separate ways, but today they wanted to stay together. They all ended up in the park taking spots on the hill looking over the large lake.

Serena sat in between Darien's legs. Her back against his chest, she felt completely relaxed.

"You know Amy." Mina talked passed the piece of cookie she stuffed in her mouth. "I'm surprised that you're out so late."

"What is that suppose to mean?" the blue haired genius narrowed her eyes at the volleyball star.

"I mean, all you do is study, study, study. You never just kick off your shoes and relax."

"Oh no, she can't kick off her shoes. She has to neatly place them at the door. She can't let go of her "Miss Perfect" persona." The blonde laughed with the raven. Amy didn't find it too funny.

"I'm sorry that I can't be the kind of person that just sits around and does absolutely nothing with her life but look at boys all day long." She looked at the two. "That's your department."

Amy's snide remark caused the two to verbally attack her, though the other was holding her own against the others.

"Hey! What's the matter with you guys!" Serena had enough of their fighting, and it wasn't the usual teasing back and forth. They were saying hurtful things.

"You know, I don't have to take this." Not giving them the satisfaction on seeing her cry, Amy got to her feet and stormed away.

"Amy, wait!" But it was too late for Serena to stop her. She was already out of their sight. "What the hell is the matter with you!" She repeated angrily.

"Don't give me that look!" Raye bit into her cookie. "You always look at me like you're better than everyone else."

"No I don't." She had no idea where this resentment was coming from.

"Yes you do, _Your Highness_. You think that because you're the future queen, you're better! But you're not. You just lucked out because you're nothing but a self-absorbed crybaby."

Serena didn't know how to react. She knew something wasn't right; Raye could be mean at times, but this was just cruel.

"Raye, that was uncalled for!" her devoted boyfriend came to her aid. He took her into his arms.

"Oh, yeah. Cry into your _prince's_ arms. I don't know what the hell you see in her."

"Now the truth comes out." Amara stood up, not wanted to hear anymore of the girl's nonsense. "You're just jealous that Darien didn't chase after you."

Raye's face turned red with anger. "Shut up! That's not it at all!"

"Sure it is."

"Amara. Don't." Michelle came to her side. "Just let it go." This was probably the first time they had a good time with the group of girls. She didn't want to ruin it.

"No. This brat hasn't shut up since we left the festival and she's pissing me off." The driver stared down the teen that seemed like she wasn't going to back down either. "I don't know what your deal with Amy, but jealousy makes you a very ugly person."

She balled up her fist at her side. Her face burned red with fury. A haze was floating around in her mind and she couldn't stop the things that were coming out of her mouth.

"Not like you would know about guys chasing you." Mina suddenly stood next to Raye. Her eyes were flat and dull as she spewed more insults.

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black. How long did it take before Andrew found your head up his ass? Oh, but wait. He wasn't in to you either. But neither were half the other guys you've gone after. Tell me Mina, when's the last time a guy gave you the time of day? "

"Fuck you!"

"Aw, what's the matter? Gonna cry now. Realizing now that you ain't worth shit?" She waited a beat; she watched as the blonde took all she had not to shed any tears. "What's wrong? You can dish it out but you can't take it? You bitch!"

"Whoa! Whoa!" Lita jumped up, putting herself between her friends that had lost their damned minds and the blonde that was going to tear their heads off.

"Raye! Mina! Stop it!" Serena shouted. She was confused about the whole ordeal. They weren't going to show it, but she could tell that their words were like knives; stabbing their targets deeply.

"Let 'em go Serena." Amara stood her ground. She wasn't going to be chased away just because the two had sticks up their asses and they were taking it out on them. "They've made it known that they got something on their minds. Why don't you share with the whole damn class?"

"Just chill out Mina." Raye stroked her head lovingly; she gave Amara a hard look. "She just jealous that she couldn't get any dick, so she had to go for the pussy instead."

A pop erupted through the air. Serena was on top of them before either of them knew it. In a flash her hand snaked out, back handing Raye clear across the right side of her face.

"Shame on you." Anger rumbled low in her throat. The same hand snapped back, giving the same punishment to Mina. "Shame on the both of you. How dare you say those things to our friends? How dare you!" Hot tears streamed down her face. She couldn't believe all the nasty things that where coming out of their mouths.

"You don't have to defend us, Serena." Michelle more than tolerated the abuse. She had had enough. "They're no friends of ours." Her words came absolute to Serena ears. Turning, she saw the hard looks on not only Amara and Michelle's but everyone else's.

Not staying a moment longer, the couple turned their backs on them as they headed out of the park.

"I don't think this is going to work."

"Trista."

The gatekeeper shook her head. Ceasing the conversation between them. "I don't think that we can fight amongst each other from here on." The look of disappointment replaced the joyous one she had early that afternoon. "Goodbye Serena." She walked away going in the opposite direction of the others once she reached the top of the hill.

Mina clapped her hands in applause. "Good riddance. They think their so tough and better than us. We don't need them anyways."

"That's just it!" Lita whirled on them. "We _do_ need them!" she struggled not to punch their lights out. "What the hell!"

"Oh, now you're on _their_ side?"

"What side!" the brunette was about to snap. "We're on the same damn side!" she shrieked. "I…I can't be here." Her voice became weak. "I can't stand here and look at the two of you with those clueless looks on your faces like ya'll didn't just cause all of this!"

"Lita…don't." Serena made a desperate grab for the teen. "Don't turn you back on us."

"Me?" she couldn't believe it. "I'm not the one who just attacked Amy, calling her an egghead, a fucking prude and the only way she was ever going to be "cool" was to 'flash some tits and get laid.' I didn't just tell the best fighter that we have that she's sexual confused and that the only reason why she's with her girlfriend is because she's not attractive enough to get a guy's attention." Though they were all there to witness the ridiculous display of events, it still stung them to hear them repeated.

"I'm not the one who turned her back. They did."

"I don't have to take this anymore." Mina grabbed her jacket, obviously upset. "The rest of you are just ganging up on me and…"

"Are you fucking serious!" Lita was yanked back by Darien when she tried to jump them. "Are you kidding me! You're acting like the victim now? You started this whole thing!"

Mina backed away in fear that Darien wouldn't be able to hold her any longer.

"I'm about ready to tear you guys apart. Get the hell out of here!" Not wondering if her threat was a promise, Mina and Raye scurried away. Lita had finally calmed down once they were out of her sight.

Serena started to hyperventilate. Now was not the time to fight! Now was not the time to get into pointless arguments amongst one another. Hurtful words had caused their group to disband and she wasn't sure if she could get them back.

She looked on at the remaining people. She wasn't the only one feeling the same way. Darien and Lita were also at a lost.

What were they going to do now?

* * *

It had been four days since then. Four miserable days. She hadn't been able to get in contact with anyone. No one was picking up the phone; no one was answering the door. She wanted to fix things; though in her heart, she felt the damage was done she still wanted to try.

She sat on the window sill in her room. Pressing her knees to her chest, she replayed everything in her head again trying to find something that she may have missed that was off that day.

They were fine at the festival. There was no animosity, no tension; everyone was having fun. Before they arrived at the park, Mina and Raye were teasing everyone, but it was their usual. It was light and normal, funny teasing though it didn't begin until after they left.

Were they attacked while at the festival? It would make sense that Mina and Raye were under a spell that made them act the way they did. But how? And what spell was cast over them?

Serena closed her eyes, concentrating on the sound of her breathing. She tried to place the dream that she had before the event.

Fighting came to her mind first. There was sword fighting in her dream, verbal fighting in reality. There were some arguments in the dream but it didn't even come close to reaching that level. Besides, arguing wasn't one of the seven deadly sins.

But anger was.

Wynter was angry that she wasn't a Sailor Scout. No…Rini told her that she was angry about that. She didn't portray that in the dream. And the girls weren't angry; they became that way only after hurtful words were thrown.

She abruptly changed positions. Getting frustrated that she was practically by herself trying to mend broken heart, find clues, and solve the mystery; she felt like she was in a Valentine's Day episode of Scooby Doo.

Laughing at herself, she counted off names. Sloth and Vanity were out and she deducted Wrath leaving Greed, Gluttony, Envy, and Lust.

Lust wasn't it for sure. There were no signs of 'love' in the air that day.

_Greed, envy, gluttony _…_Wynter was upset that she couldn't train anymore. Rini said she wanted to be the best. She was greedy for power. _

She shook her head. _No she wasn't greedy_.

She got up and began to pace her bedroom pulling at the tails of her hair. She wished she had Amy's mind for extensive vocabulary.

Wynter wasn't greedy for power…she was driven. She was hungry for power.

"Hungry, gluttony… food festival." Serena mentally patted herself on the back "We must have eaten something at the food festival." She groaned instead at the realization.

"We ate nearly _everything_ at the food festival." She flopped on the bed, feeling her winning streak was at an end. She pushed passed the pounding in her head from her elaborate thinking and concentrated again.

"What was the last thing we ate before…those cookies. That was the last thing we ate before everything started to go wrong." Because gluttony would have made them eat continuously so it was just in the cookies. "So what was the spell?"

She kept pondering the thought as she slipped on her light weight coat. She had to get through to someone, somehow.

She left the house in a hurry just in time to hop on the bus. An eight minute ride was a lot more pleasing to her than a twenty minute walk to the shrine. She didn't know how she was going to make the hardheaded teen to listen. Maybe she would chain herself to the porch and sing horrendously until she promised to hear her out.

"That could work." She let out an unladylike snort. Getting off the public transit she bounded the corner.

She stopped short, noticing a cloud of black smoke. She thought nothing of it; maybe her grandfather was burning sage or something.

She trotted up the steps. The smell of smoke clogged her lungs and stung her eyes. Panic sprang her into action. She fled up the stone stairs. She could now hear the crackling of wood; ember ashes became visible.

"Oh my God." She gasped. "Oh no! Raye!"

The shrine was on fire.

* * *

A/n: Ooookkkk...it's 2:30 in the morning and I can barely keep my eyes open. (G'night FF ppl)

And as always: Please Review.

SMOOCHES.


	9. Dear Sister

Chapter 9: Dear Sister…

The blonde heroine sprang into action. Transforming into Sailor Moon, she wasted no time rushing into the burning building. The smoke filling her lungs didn't stop her frantic calls to occupant's names.

Panic struck her heart when she finally she found one. Raye's grandfather laid face down just outside of the meditation room. Scooping up the small man she raced back out to finding a safe spot away from the fire under a cherry blossom tree. She checked his pulse, finding it weak but she couldn't stop with to help until she was for certain that there was no one else in the shrine.

The second time around was no easier than the first. She jumped to the side when a part of the burning ceiling came crashing down to the floor. She couldn't ignore the pain that her body got singed from the flames but she kept pushing through.

_Please be alright._ She silently prayed as she continued her desperate search for any signs of life.

Things weren't looking too good for them. More of the shrine collapsed around her; her vision became blurry. The heat and inhalation of smoke was getting to her. She stumbled, falling against the wall and gave way under her weight. Debris and flames grew around her. It took her a minute to get her head straight again. She pushed back her fear and panic when she saw Chad laying unconscious on top of Raye. He had probably done so to protect her.

Running to their still forms, she got rid of the heavy planks that fell on his back.

She wished that the others were around. She wished that none of this was happening to her. She knew she wasn't strong enough to carry them both out at the same time. Hooking her arms under Chad's, she dragged the shaggy haired boy out. She didn't have time to take him over to where the older man was. The other side of the shrine had completely collapse. Like a domino effect, the damage was heading to where Raye was.

Sailor Moon raced against the clock. Hoisting her by the waist, she moved out of the way, just as the whole shrine crumbled into burning ashes.

The blonde managed to get them all to safety before falling to her knees. The sounds of sirens told her that someone seen the smoke too and had called the fire department saving her the trouble of doing so.

Taking off her pendent, she reverted back to her original self before using it to call the others.

"Listen!" her voice was harsh and burned. "Listen, everyone! I know you can hear me. Put your differences aside for me please! I need your help." She paused, now feeling the consequences of her selfless actions. Her singed flesh blistered. She shook in pain. "Raye…Raye's shrine was burning down with her and her family inside. I need you. I need all of you."

Serena waited until she saw the men in uniform before she passed out.

She had woken up in the hospital. It had only taken the nurse minutes to bandage her wounds while telling her the condition of the others. Everyone was alive for the most part. The two males received smoke inhalation; Chad had a mild concussion.

Raye got the worst of it. From what the nurse could explain, she had multiple bruising and lacerations over her body. A few cracked ribs and a concussion. It was like she had been fighting before the fire started.

As for her, she got lucky. Second degree burns on her hands, arms, and legs and her throat burned from the black smoke. Her wounds were bandaged with clean white gaze. Only a few of her fingertips that weren't burned were shown; they stroked her singed hair as she waited for the others to arrive.

Lita was the first of them to get there. She heard the beeping of her communicator and had first decided not to listen. She didn't want to deal with them. But when she heard that Raye's house had burnt down, she didn't hesitate. She found Serena sitting on one of the gurneys. Lita's stomach dropped when she saw the blisters and burn marks over her skin.

"You went in there?" she walked over to her side.

"I was protected." She gave her a look that told privately that she was Sailor Moon during that time.

"You should've called someone for help."

"That fire was well underway by the time I got there. If I had waited any longer, they would have all died."

Lita nodded her head, not wanting to argue or make her talk more than she had to. Her voice was strained and harsh. She could only imagine the pain she was going through.

"Well, whatever protection you had saved your life." The nurse finished up, removing her gloves with a snap. "You're a very lucky girl." She walked out, leaving the two alone.

"Was there anyone else around?"

"No." Serena stopped playing with her hair to press her fingers to her eyes. "Raye could've... if I hadn't left the house to go see her…" she began to cry. The realization hit her like a bulldozer.

"It's going to be ok." Lita soothed her, "When she wakes up, we'll get the answers we're looking for."

She waited until she was empty of tears and they had dried before they left the room. They sat outside in the hallway. It was almost a half an hour later before the sound of a stampede echoed through the hall.

"Serena, are you alright?" Amy was the one to ask as Darien sat down next to her.

His eyes roamed around her to see if there were injuries that the nurse may have missed.

"I'm fine." She wiggled her fingers. "Some burns here and there but I'm fine." She finally looked up. She was pleased to see that everyone had attended. But her happiness did a one-eighty.

"Where's Mina?" she searched everyone's faces; all who seemed unaware that the last of their group was missing.

"It's nothing to worry about…"

"No." she cut off Amy harshly. "I have every reason to worry."

"Baby…" Darien wrapped his arms around her when her body began to shake.

"Find her." She looked up at the rest. "Find her now!" she barked the order like a general.

"I'll go." Trista stated. Never before had she seen the blonde riled up. She left the group to go find the Scout of Love.

"Don't let her go alone. We don't know what's out there."

"We'll go." Michelle volunteered her and Amara.

"You go with them." She nudged Darien but he refused to go.

"But…"

"You're not doing us any good being here." She shoved him until he stood up. He waited a second longer before leaving with the girls. "Go with them. And call when you find her." She called at their backs.

No sooner did they leave; Raye's doctor came back out.

"How is she?" Lita and the others stood when the doctor approached them.

"She's stable and awake, but she needs to rest for a while." The doctor looked down, checking his charts. "Of course, she'll need some time to recover but there's nothing life threatening."

"Can we see her? Please." Serena insisted when he made a face of disapproval. "Her only family is here in the hospital. We're like sisters."

"Just one of you and only for a few minutes." The three look at each other, trying to decide who should go in.

"You should go then." Amy spoke softly the other girl. Even though she came because she heard that the girl was hurt, she still wasn't ready to face her.

Serena got up, following the doctor into the patient's room.

Raye was resting on the twin size bed. Fresh bruises stood out against her pale skin. A thin sheet was pulled up to cover her to protect her from the cold. Her arms were the only limbs exposed. Both were bandaged; an IV drip connected to her inner arm.

"I'll leave you two alone." The doctor announced; closing the door behind him.

Nerves got the better of her as she wrung her bandaged hands, approaching the bed. She sat on the edge, grabbing Raye's hand gently. Her friend waited patiently for the other to open her eyes.

"Hey." The blonde moved closer so that she wouldn't have to strain to see who was beside her.

Raye gave her a weak grin. She brushed back a lock of her hair. She hissed when she hit a tender spot.

"Sorry." She jerked her hand back.

Raye opened her mouth, trying to find her lost voice. Nothing came out at first, just a weak gasp.

"Don't try to talk." She poured water that was on the nearby stand into a cup. She assisted her as she drank slowly.

"How's…" her voice came out harsher than her own.

"Your grandfather and Chad are okay." She figured out what she was worried about. "They inhaled a lot of smoke and Chad has a mild concussion. But…" she paused, unsure of how to break the news to her. She guessed there really was no good way of saying it. "But the shrine…the shrine is gone."

She watched as confusion ran across her face before sadness and anger replaced it. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to comfort the teen.

"She…she looked like you."

"Who?" Serena could barely make out the other's words. She leaned in close so that she wouldn't have to raise her voice.

"The girl who attacked me. She looked like you." she felt her heart stop. There was no way that she was hearing her correctly.

"Are you sure?" She knew that she didn't need to ask. When it came to Raye there was no mistake in making a positive identification.

"Her hair was darker, but she was a meatball head." Serena smiled; at least she was still able to tease her and find some laugher in all of their misery.

Emotions rocking her, she touched their foreheads, trying to steady herself again. Today, she was very close to losing a dear friend and it could have been in the hands of her own daughter. She didn't know how to handle it all.

"Everything is going to be okay." She stated, more so for herself than for Raye. She placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "You just worry about getting better. We'll handle the rest." She promised.

By the time she and the others made it out of the hospital, her communicator sounded off. Hopefully it was someone with good news.

"Serena." The tone in Trista voice warned her that the bad news was just getting started. "We found Mina." She paused. "She's in bad shape."

Getting to Trista's house was the most agonizing thing that Serena had gone through.

* * *

The whole time she was thinking the worst had happened to another one of her comrade, her friend.

Her house was just outside the city's walls. A small quiet suburban neighborhood was a far distance away from the hospital. It took the trio a good twenty minutes by train to get there.

This was the first time that they have ever been to her house. Her place was a small two story house, big enough for her to maintain. They walked past the gate and into the unlocked door.

Serena didn't even bother with looking around at the beautiful furniture and décor; she was more concerned about Mina.

They found everyone else in the living room. Mina's arm was in a makeshift sling. Her legs were bandaged up to her thighs. Cuts and bruises riddled her face and hands. It was like she and Raye were in the same fight.

"Mina." The blonde ran over to her; Artemis jumped down from her lap as she wrapping her arm around her neck. "Thank goodness you're alright."

"Define 'alright'." She winced at the sudden movements. She noted her somber face and turned to see that everyone was feeling the same way.

"What wrong?"

Mina sighed. "I told them about who attacked me." She didn't want to finish. How could she? It was hard on her to know that the assailant was apart of her own family.

"She identified her as Wynter, Serena." Luna finished the blonde's statement. She watched as Serena wrapped her arms around herself as if she were cold. She slowly fell to the floor, feeling that her knees would buckle at any moment.

"Are you sure?" her voice shook a bit. This day was not getting any better.

"Positive." Mina answered. "She said her name was Wynter 'daughter of King Endymion and Queen Serenity; Princess of the Moon Kingdom and rightful heiress to the throne.' That's what she said."

"Why would she give you her full title? All of that information seems unnecessary." Amy chimed in.

"Maybe she's an imposter."

"An imposter that holds every attribute of the original?" the blonde shook her head. She knew that the others were trying to comfort the princess, but this was not the time to be naïve. "She had control over every element of earth. I highly doubt that someone else has that kind of power." She said bitterly.

"This is going to break her heart." Serena thought about the other child that was absent which raised alarm. "Where's Rini?"

"Darien and Amara went to go get her." Trista came back out of the kitchen, carrying herbal tea and sandwiches.

Serena realized that she hadn't eaten all day. Taking the food and drink, she wondered if Rini and the others were okay.

* * *

Tires came to a screeching halt, unnerving Rini and Diana. She turned to see what the problem was.

"Darien!" her eyes lit up when she saw him get out of the car in a hurry.

"Rini, let's go." He grabbed her hand taking her back to the red Ferrari.

"What's the matter?" she was puzzled by the seriousness on his and Amara's faces.

"Someone is attacking everyone." Amara revved up the car, making a dangerous U-turn in the middle of traffic. "We need to make sure that everyone is safe."

"Who's attacking everyone?" She felt the tension building in the sports car. "Who is it?" she didn't receive an answer from the adults which worried her.

The grey kitten still propped on her head purred softly when she felt discomfort coming from the small child, trying her best to soothe her. Her small hairs began to stand on end before she heard the sound of rumbling as if there was an earthquake nearby.

Her brownish red eyes went wide when she saw the image in the rearview mirror.

"Guys!" she small voice squealed in terror. Alarmed, Rini looked out the back window at the same time Amara checked her mirrors. The streets were moving up behind them like a tidal wave.

"Hang on!" Amara punched the gas, hoping that she could out drive the moving concrete. She made a sharp turn, right before being swept away. But as they conquered one obstacle another soon appeared.

The earthquake didn't cease; buildings started to shake violently. Debris tumbled to the ground threatening to crush them.

"Shit." Amara cursed as she turned the wheel. Shifting gears, she dipped and swerved around the falling rubble.

Rini covered her head, tucking between her knees. She prayed that they would come out of this situation alive.

It seemed that her prayers were answered. As quickly as the earthquake came, it went away.

Going down a road that didn't seem to get hit by destruction, Amara dropped her speed down to a steady eighty-five.

Darien looked around, making sure that there wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

"What the hell was that?" Amara began to check her surroundings. When was the last time the city had an earthquake big enough to move sidewalks and streets up like damn waves? She knew for sure that they needed to get back to safe grounds.

"Look out!" Rini's screams had the driver slamming on the brakes. She wasn't expecting anyone to be out in the middle of the road.

Rubber burned hot enough to create tire marks; the car never came close to hitting the girl as an unknown force tossed the vehicle like a rag doll. It flipped several times before coming to a halt. The impact knocked Amara and Darien unconscious.

Rini struggled, trying her best to get Diana off. The scared kitten had embedded her claws into her chest to keep her from becoming a stain on the window shield. Once she pulled her away, she unbuckled her seat belt.

Darien was the first to wake up. The first thing he knew was that his head was on fire before he felt the wetness. His fingers were covered in blood when his touched them to his brow.

"Rini?" pain shot through his body when he moved.

"I'm fine." She moved in her seat. The soft movement of the car stirred the other.

It took her several moments to put everything together: what happened before, during, and after she blacked out. Looking around, the girl was nowhere in sight.

"Stay in the car." They both ordered the young one. Though it was a waste of breath; when they removed themselves from the wrecked car, she did as well.

A small clap of hands came from behind. Darien wasted no time shielding Rini from whoever was trying to hurt them.

They focused on the only person that was around. Leaning on the bent guardrail off the side of the road; their attacker continued to applaud them.

"I'm surprised you all survived that." There was laughter behind the words, as if she were playing a child's game. She ran her hands down her black halter cat suit. Her dark green heeled boots matched the color of her braided hair

Rini's heart thumped as she recognized the voice. Shifting pass Darien, she got a better view of the young woman.

She held her breath as she approached them. Her mind was going a mile a second; it was processing and conflicting thoughts left and right. She looked and sounded liked her. But it couldn't be her.

No way.

She stopped moving towards them as she didn't want the young adults to fight her. She just wanted to make her presence known. She flashed them a smile. Looking directly at Rini, she waved.

"Hi, baby sister."

TBC!

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	10. I Hate Your Stinking Guts

Chapter 10: …I Hate Your Stinking Guts.

"Hi, baby sister." She wanted to make the greeting as sweet as possible. After all, they hadn't seen each other in two years.

Rini gripped his pant's leg; she had a bad feeling about her.

Wynter pursed her lips in a pout. She crouched down, spreading her arms. "Aren't you going to give me a hug?"

Rini said nothing. She glared at her, backing further away from her.

"You're not being very nice." She sounded hurt. "We haven't seen each other since forever."

"I don't believe you." Rini sized her up. Her eyes were saying that it was her. Her head was saying it was Wynter, but her heart was telling her it wasn't.

"Prove it."

"What do you mean?"

"Sing our song." It was a test, one that her sister would ace if it was really her.

Wynter paused, fisted her hands to her hips. Songs of all genres filled her mind. She flipped through them all. Finally picking the one that was requested.

"That's an easy one." She said with confidence before clearing her throat. _"Let me be your wings. Let me take you high above. Let me take you far beyond the stars… Fly with me and I will…" _

"Shut up." Rini hissed cutting her off rudely. She couldn't stand hearing that voice come out of her mouth any longer. It wasn't right.

"Now that's not a nice thing to say to your sister."

"Shut up!" she pressed her hands to her ears. "Shut up! You're not Wynter. You're not my sister!" She wanted to cry. Why would someone want to set up her sister and make her the bad guy?

Wynter straightened. She gave an innocent look. "Of course I am. Just look at me." She turned around once. "I look the same, I sound the same." She broke her attention away from the distraught girl. "You can't deny family genetics, right Father?" she winked at the man.

Darien wasn't sure what to believe. She resembled his child and girlfriend and there were hints of him in her too. But who was he to judge; he had never laid eyes on her before today.

"If you are her sister, why are you trying to kill us?" Amara inquired. She was in the same boat as Darien. She wanted to defend herself and the others against the teen, but at the same time she didn't want to hurt a member of the royal family.

Wynter's eyes mocked her. "Silly, silly Uranus." The blonde was taken aback when she called her by her alter ego. "You should know that I despise every last one of you." her eyes turned dark and hard.

"That's not true." Rini whispered. "Wynter doesn't hate us. Don't believe her."

"That's where you're wrong Rini. I let you know what I wanted you to know. I didn't want to hurt your feelings at the time. But I guess you're old enough to know that I haven't felt love for any of you for a long time. You all made me feel unloved, defective, and weak. The last straw was sending me to that ridiculous Academy. You threw me away. You forgot about me."

Bitter tears accompanied bitter words. She wasn't expecting to be emotional. She didn't know how much it really hurt until she said the words aloud. She wiped them away.

"But soothing kind words of redemption won't help any of you. I've already decided to take you all out and take over the world that you promised would be mine, _Daddy_."

The three felt a sick feeling in their stomachs. Her eyes were voided of all emotions. "I thought it would be hard to defeat you, being Sailor Scouts and all but I now know that all of you are just pretentious fools." She laughed wickedly; recalling the morning events. "Miss Mars had a lot of fight in her, but she was easily detained. I wonder if she and her family survived the fire." She titled her head in curiosity. "But Venus was a bit of a let down." She fluffed up her bangs; she talked as if she were discussing about her day at school instead of her crusade around town created mayhem.

"You bitch." Amara barred her teeth at the sixteen year old.

"Aw, you're hurting my feelings." She placed a hand to her heart. "So predictable." She murmured when she picked up the sounds of people approaching. "But it saves me the trouble of looking for them." She saw the figures in the distance. She felt like she should hum a tune to pass the time.

"Stop it." Rini glared at Wynter. No one was allowed to sing that song.

"But Rini, it's our song." She pushed on, humming louder.

"Shut up! That's my sister's song!" she wasn't going to believe her. She couldn't believe.

"Rini! Darien!" Serena huffed in exhaustion. Amy and Lita came beside her. She became distanced when she noticed the unfamiliar person.

Wynter turned to face her. The blonde's breath hitched; to see her here, now, was unexpected. The girl that she had been dreaming about, the girl that Rini admired was standing in front of her.

Wynter turned, smiling at the girl that had her eyes and unique hair style. "Hi…Mama." She bit back some spitefulness. She raised her hand, releasing a powerful gust of wind. It knocked the blonde back.

Thankfully, Lita moved into harms way, breaking Serena's fall. She kept the smile on her face. "I hate you most of all."

"Serena!" Darien and Amara ran to her, avoiding proximity of the wicked princess. She would have given them one more hit. The sympathetic idiots huddled close around the fallen one, making them an easy target to take them all out with one hit. Too bad her energy was now completely drained. She was having so much fun destroying their little happy world that she didn't conserve it wisely.

"Well, this little family reunion was fun. But I have to be going now." She didn't even give them a chance to react. She was gone at the blink of an eye.

* * *

"Why didn't you finish them off?" Tamanna didn't waste her spell so that she could let her enemies walk away.

The dark teen sat on the window sill, kicking her feet back and forth.

"What fun would it had been if I had destroyed them so soon?" She wasn't going to tell them that it was because she had exhausted her energy that she had to let them go. She did have a reputation to maintain.

"This isn't a game."

"Listen!" She snapped, moving her hands as she spoke "What good would it do? Didn't I already tell you that the blond one is immune to your spells? So even if I had taken out all of them, she's the strongest and she would have figured out a way to break it and then the day would start over and we would have accomplished_ nothing." _She sat back, letting the stream roll off.

"So what happens next, since you have all the answers?" Tempest folded her arms, waiting for the girl's response. She had let her into their plan because she had promised a great deal and with no means of reaping the rewards if they succeeded. So far she was living up to her end of the bargain. She had weakened two of the members singlehandedly, something that her own sisters had a difficult time doing. She was interested to hear the plan she was hatching.

"Firsts thing first, we need to occupy the blonde meatball head." She looked at the remaining sisters. "I'm pretty sure that Amora and Ava can come up with something. After we get her out of the way, you and I can take care of the rest."

"It seems like you've thought things through." Amora was intrigued by Wynter's confidence.

She received a winning smile from her. "All you have to do is just follow along."

* * *

Not wanting to be apart of the girls' discussion, Rini silently whimpered in the corner; a pillow pressed to her chest as tears rolled down her face.

The girls in question gathered in their only safe haven. But it was hard to tell how long it would stay that way. Time was not on their side.

"What are we going to do?" the question was on everyone's minds. What _were_ they going to do? It was heartbreaking to find out that Rini's own sister was the mastermind behind all of earth's destruction. On top of that she was strong; stronger than what any of them imagined and she knew their identities, meaning that they could be attacked at any time. This was bad and terrifying all at the same time.

Wynter had proven twice that she meant business; setting out to take over the world and taking down anyone who stood in her way.

Raye and Mina stood up to her and look where it got them; one was in the hospital while the other was sitting crippled on the couch. Both were out of commission for a long time.

"We're going to have to take down their operation before they get to us." Amara walked the room finding that the only stimulation to calm down.

"There has to be another way."

"And what other way is that?" She snapped at Serena. "Stop being so naïve for once and open your eyes. That girl is out to get us and she's not stopping until we're all dead. So it's either her or us and I don't know about you but I'm choosing my own ass before hers."

Serena's heart sank. There had to be another way to solve this. What kind of person would she be; what kind of mother would she be if she went out to harm her own daughter?

"I just feel like we have to see other options. For Rini's sake." Amara threw her arms in the air.

"For Rini's sake? Are you serious?" Serena felt herself becoming heated. She was sick of Amara's attitude.

The two glared at each other.

"Yes, for her sake as well as mine!" she shouted back. "That's her sister. She may be under a spell like how Rini was with the Wiseman."

"Wynter's been in training for a long time now." The pink haired girl sniffled; she turned away from the wall to face them. "By now, she would be too strong for something like hypnosis or brainwashing."

"See, she's doing this of her own free will."

"But it's still her sister." She couldn't stress that enough to the other.

Rini started to tear up again, flipping back to face her corner. She murmured the same words she did on the battlefield.

"Rini said that it wasn't her. An imposter is what she came up with."

"But what if it's not?"

"Then tough shit!" the tomboy was done trying to convince her teammate that they had no other choice. It was either her or them, and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to choose herself every time.

"Fine!" Amara gave up when cold stares were delivered from both parents. "Then _you_ figure it out." She flopped down next to her girlfriend who took her hand for support. "But I'll tell you one thing, when the time comes when I have to defend myself against her, I'm not hesitating."

* * *

Wynter stood in front of Vani's full mirror, observing the remaining girls as they moved around the city. She predicted them to stay in one place; it would have been a lot easier for her.

She should have known better that nothing came easy as they all separated; no doubt believing they would be safer apart.

The teen stroked her chin, plotting diligently, opting on changing her strategy from before. She had the option of getting rid of the two that were injured and be done with them once and for all.

Though she would have the obstacle of going against their protectors, Trista nursed Mina with Amara while Amy and Michelle stayed with Raye in the hospital. Lita, Serena, and Rini settled on bunking with Darien, keeping Serena's other family members out of harm's way.

Wynter thought about doing away with her little sister first. But now her sights were set on bigger fish; her mother. She was the wrench that spoiled everything for them. She wasn't affected by the witches' spells and it seemed that she was shedding the ditzy persona and was actually thinking like a strategist in battle. So she had to go. Once she was gone the others would drop like flies.

The 'Master' had picked the witches personally, and she had hoped that they would have completed their mission by now.

Just because time rewound back on Earth didn't mean that the rest of the universe did. Weeks had past and she was running out of time. If they didn't get a move on, Wynter was going to have a lot on her plate besides the Sailor Scouts.

"You've been looking at that thing for a while." Wynter didn't turn away from the reflecting glass. Brie stood next to her. She watched as the raven laughed lightly. To her, it was like watching a silent film. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking that we're running out of time." She folded her arms, tapping the toe of her boot lightly on the stone floor. "And I'm thinking that we need a new strategy."

Brie looked puzzled as she scratched her brown locks; thick bangs fell over her cream colored eyes in the process. "I didn't know that we had a deadline."

"We don't, but the faster we get them out of the way, the faster everything else can begin." The twisted princess waved her hand over the glass, switching pass the happy patient to the family that she loathed. She studied their faces; none expressed happiness like the last group but anxious and concerned of their fate.

Rini was left alone in the bedroom. She cradled the white pillow close to her body as she cried silently. Wynter didn't know why the child was crying, what, or who caused her to shed tears. If she had been the girl that Rini wanted her to be, she would have felt sorry for her, reached out to soothe and nurture her. Instead she wanted to use her weakness for her gain.

"Mandara? Do you think you can gather enough energy for a small spell?" Wynter asked dryly. Being around the witches, she knew that Mandara did her best to do as little as possible.

The lazy witch rolled over on the sill of the window. It seemed like those silver lashes were weighing heavily on her eye lids.

"Maybe." Wynter blew out a breath. She expected that much out of her.

"What are you thinking?" Brie was ignored as the teen continued to mutter softly to herself.

"I think we can use Amora and Ava for another time. Tamanna, you didn't use all of your strength last time, did you?"

"No I didn't." The sorceress dressed in green looked at her in suspicion.

"Good."

* * *

Lita chilled out on the couch. She entertained herself by throwing a ball, catching it in mid air. Serena and Darien rested peacefully on the smaller bed placed at the wall. The heat in the house had died down. Over an hour ago, family drama erupted between daughter and parents.

Rini was thoroughly upset that her fellow companions were accusing her only sister of being the ringleader. Rini argued that the young woman that claimed to be their long forgotten daughter was in fact,_ not_ their daughter.

Though who were they to judge? They didn't know her and had never laid eyes on her until she'd appeared. But the evidence was solid. She had identified herself; she looked very much like her parents; Rini admitted that the features and mannerisms were spot on. Even if she wasn't an imposer that didn't stop the fact that she was now the enemy.

Rini wasn't having it. It didn't sit well with her that there was someone trying to dirty the family name. She insisted that they investigate but when Darien said that it was too dangerous, Rini challenged them; stating that if they weren't going to do it, she would.

Well, why did she say that? All three of them exploded; smartly, the tall brunette had stayed out of it.

The parents went along the lines of she was too young and weak, but in the nicest way possible while the daughter went on the rebellious streak. Claiming that they couldn't possibly care about Wynter because they didn't know her and they were using Wynter as a scapegoat because it was the easy way out. She wasn't going to hear it and she was going to find out what happened to her real sister and if they didn't help, then they didn't care about her.

Of course she didn't get her way. Darien had overpowered her, dragging her into the bedroom kicking and screaming…literally. She kicked the locked door, letting out cries and sobs. Finally she had given up after about ten minutes of wrestling with it.

They hadn't seen her since then. All of them felt bad; how could they not? But they weren't going to let her walk aimlessly into the lion's den just so she could prove a point.

Lita toss the ball once more before setting it down on the coffee table.

It was a lot to absorb and with the emotions and doubts mixed in made it all the more chaotic.

* * *

With red rimmed eyes and tear soaked pillows, Rini curled up in the middle of the bed; a pillow was her only source of comfort. Sulking in the semi-dark room, she wasn't too thrilled with the people outside the bedroom door.

She understood. Of course it was dangerous for her alone to go and find out want was going on with Wynter. Though, to her, they flat out rejected her theory that the Wynter that exposed herself was a fake.

If she didn't know her personally, she would have had a hard time believing it as well. She had a solid act, she could give her that, but there were just subtle things that Rini knew about that this Wynter didn't do.

She sighed. There was nothing she could do.

She rolled over to face the window. The light of the full moon shined through the dark clouds. Rini began to think back; back when she was home with her family in the future. She remembered the days when her sister was around. She was too young at the time when Wynter first developed her powers. From what she could fathom, the preteen was happy about them. It wasn't until she came back from her first semester at the Academy, her attitude changed. She couldn't remember if it was because she was happy or it was something else.

Was she upset that their mother sent her away? It wasn't as if it were a punishment; she did it to help her improve so that she could be stronger.

Did she really feel betrayed, abandoned, forgotten? Did her sister really hate them enough that she wanted them gone?

Feeling her heart swell with sadness, she hid her face behind the pillow as tears spilled out again. She was confused and heartbroken. Right now, all she wanted was her Mama.

Her head was too jumbled up with thoughts and emotions that she didn't feel the sudden wave of sleepiness that came over her. Nor did she feel green vines coiling around her legs.

* * *

A small sharp pain ran down the brunette's spine. Shaking off the cold chill, Lita stood up to roll her stiff shoulders.

"Is something wrong?" Lita had suddenly stopped talking. Serena became concerned.

"I think I'm going to check on Rini." She announced to the couple before walking down the small hall. Out of courtesy, she rapped twice lightly.

"Rini? Are you ok?" She figured she wasn't going to get an answer. The distressed girl had made it clear that she didn't want to talk to them any longer.

Sighing, she opened the door. From the limited light of the moon, all Lita could see was a small shape in the middle of the bed. It wasn't until the slight unusual movement caused her to turn on the lights.

Shock came over her immediately. It was something out of _Little Shop of Horrors. _Green vines wrapped and twisted around the small frame like an anaconda; binding and encasing her in a leafy cocoon.

Running, she jumped on the bed, grabbing hold of the appendages. She pulled hard, attempting to tear them apart. She didn't see one of them whipping out. As hard as steel, the vine knocked her back recklessly. Her slamming against the wall caused a dent in the wall as well as a scream of pure agony.

No sooner did she slide to the floor did the others stumble into the room.

"Oh no! Rini!" Serena or anyone else didn't get the chance to try and save her from the bondage.

Green vines lifted its captured prisoner and pulled her out the window.

TBC!

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	11. You're Like Scum Between My Toes

Chapter 11: You're Like Scum Between My Toes.

Tamanna circled her pet's prisoner; she slept peacefully, hanging upside down by the multitude of vines.

"Are we going to dispose of her?" she asked casually. She still wasn't told why she was asked to assist Wynter instead of Amora and Ava like they had planned originally.

"If we have to." Wynter leaned against the nearby building. "But for now, she's the bait so we keep her alive." She sent a warning glare at the green witch.

Tamanna said nothing as she studied the girl again. What was so special about her that would have any of the Scouts running into danger to save her? She was small and weak, her judgment could be easily blurred by her emotions; the child served no purpose to the other.

"They'll come for her?"

"I wouldn't have taken her if they wouldn't." Wynter tossed something pink in her hands. "This little locket of hers will tell them exactly where she is. It'll only be a matter of time before they arrive."

Tamanna frowned, walking away from the child. She was somewhat envious that the little one had people that would be willing to risk their lives for hers. She wondered if her own family would do the same if she were in her position.

"You don't need to be jealous of her." She jumped slightly when she heard the girl's comment. As if she was reading her thoughts. She then heard her chuckle. "You're too obvious. Of course I knew what you were thinking. You_ are_ the Witch of Envy after all."

The witch decided to ignore her last comment. "And what about the heart? Where did you put it?"

The teen was silent as she opened her hand. A sword materialized within her palm. "It's right here." She tapped her nail against the small glass orb embedded in the weapon's hilt. "It'll be pretty hard for them to break this spell. They'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands."

She laughed again. Looking up at the midnight sky, she pondered all the ways she would torture her family.

* * *

"Let go of me!" irritated, Serena snatched her arm away from Lita for the tenth time. They were stopping her from leaving Trista's home. They were wasting time to save Rini. They had found her location so what was the problem? Yeah, she knew it was a trap, but what else was new? Were they supposed to stay and do nothing?

"We have to think things through." Trista could sympathize with her. She too was frantic. Worried about what they might do, or had done to Rini.

"What's there to think about? They have Rini. We have to go and get her back. It's not rocket science people!"

"But what if it's a trap?"

"Of course it's a trap!" Reaching her limit, she collapsed; sitting on the edge of the coffee table.

"They're trying to separate us." Darien was feeling the same way his girlfriend did. He wanted to barge in and get Rini out of whatever prison she was in, but they had to be logical about it.

"If either of us goes and gets Rini, then Mina is left defenseless. If we stay here, who knows what they'll do to her. It's a lose-lose situation."

"We can't even call on the others because then Raye will be at a disadvantage." Trista began to bite her nails, a nervous habit she developed recently.

Everyone was silent. They had already figured that part out. It was a tough decision that no one wanted to make.

"Well, I'll make it easy for everybody." Mina broke the pregnant pause. "We go and get Rini."

"But Mina, what about you? We can't just leave you by yourself." Serena wasn't going to let the enemy make them decide who was more important.

Slowly Mina pulled her arm out of the supportive sling. Carefully she rotated and flexed. "I did say _we_."

"You can't." Amara was the first to say aloud what the others were thinking. Mina rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Look, I'm not about to give them the satisfaction of thinking they've got us running with our tails between our legs. I'm well enough to help out and when I transform, I'll be even better." She looked at every one in the eye, daring them to oppose her. "I'll be damned if I don't go out swinging instead of laying here on my back waiting to be attacked."

Serena wanted to cry. How could she allow her friend to go out and fight for her daughter when she could barely defend herself? She was already badly injured and yet she was willing to fight alongside her.

"But they'll be expecting that."

The blonde walked to the front door. She toed on her shoes before opening the door to leave. "Then let's give them what they want."

* * *

Running through the streets, leaping from building to building, they made their way down into Center City. They were walking in blindly with no plan whatsoever, but they would give their last breath if it were meant to save Rini.

Hiding in the shadows was their only defense at the moment. The Scouts didn't know who they were up against; whether their opponent of the night would be on of the Seven Sisters, Wynter, or the whole lot. Though going into the unknown didn't stop or scare them away.

Sailor Neptune, who led the pack, stopped short a block away when she began to see something in the distance. From the roof top, she could see their fellow scout. Hanging from the street light by the vines that snatched her from her bed; she seemed to be unharmed and sleeping.

Silently she got the others attention, signaling them to stay in position. So far she didn't see anyone else around. Thought, it was common sense that they were watching close by. It was too much of a dead giveaway to leave their prisoner in plain sight and noticeably unattended. It reminded Neptune of the hunk of cheese placed on top of a mouse trap for the mouse to get caught in.

The water goddess smirked; she guessed she would have to trigger that trap and see what would happen. As graceful as a cat, she dropped below to the streets. She forced herself not to tip toe her way to the small princess.

As she figured, once she stepped into the pool of light, the trigger was pulled. In a flash a green vine shot out of the alley.

With agile reflexes, Sailor Neptune easily moved out of the way; flipping backwards twice, she was able to get to safety.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Eyes narrowed, Neptune watched as someone moved in the shadows. She waited until the girl came out in plain view. She was shock to say the least. The girl looked very similar to her friend. Her dark hair was unbound just barely touching the back of her ankles. The midnight air blowing through it freely allowed her to see the crescent moons winking at her ears. The blinding white shirt was tucked neatly in the pink and black plaid jumper that she wore. If it weren't for the sword in her hand, it would appear that she was prepared for school, not for battle.

"So, you must by Wynter." Neptune started that conversation. "I've heard nothing by bad news about you."

"I'm so glad that I've been mentioned." She walked forward, slowly circling the lone scout. Not wanting her back to face her, Neptune began to circle as well, beginning an intense dance between the two.

"I know you're not dumb enough to fight me on your own." She twirled her sword. The blade made a 'swooshing' sound as it sliced through the still air.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't." She didn't mind playing coy.

"No matter," Wynter stopped moving. "I'll just flush them out." With a snap of her fingers, several green monsters scurried out of the alleys like roaches. Sailor Neptune backed away as giant Venus Fly traps emerged. Their oversized heads were supported by their roots acting as feet and arms. Oval shaped mouths were gapping open, exposing razor sharp teeth; digestive venom dripped from them. They looked very comical, but the scout knew that there was nothing funny about them.

"Get them." She barely got the order out as the deadly plants made a mad dash, sniffing out the others nearby. Neptune wasn't about to be caught so easily. Using her mirror, she was able to stop one of them; a few of its roots liquefied when they reached for her. But it wasn't enough. Two came from under her, snagging her by the ankles. She crashed hard to the ground, hitting her head off the concrete. She was too disoriented to stop the vines from encasing her into its strangling cocoon.

She cried out as the plant squeezed her body, draining and absorbing her energy. By the time the mutated vegetation was done with her, she feared she would black out.

Wynter watched in amusement as the rest of the group struggled to fight against the monsters. Numerous attacks were made, but none could suppress them; they were weeds of course and very hard to kill.

She became distracted when she heard whines coming from behind. When she turned, she noticed that her hostage was now stirring. She was pleased that the spell was wearing off and right on time too.

Walking over, she began to pull on the vines rotating and moving them so now Rini hung upside right. She stroked her face softly.

"Wake up." She whispered in her ear. "Wake up so you can see what I've done." It took her several moments before she could finally break out of the foggy haze around her brain.

Rini's eyes fluttered opened; her head bobbed as she tried to focus on bringing herself to consciousness. Her vision went in and out traveling from the ground; side to side. She finally was able to get a grip on reality as she began to get a clear view of the person standing next to her.

"Wynter?" she let out a sleepy yawn, trying to make sense of everything. She noticed her gently smile.

"That's right. Look at what I've done for you, Baby Sister." She helped her by lifting her head so she could see was she was talking about. It took her a minute, but when it all became clear, her heart pounded in her chest.

"What have you done?" she screeched. From the neck down, her friends were captured by the carnivorous foliage. They all fought to break free of their bondage, but their efforts were proven useless. "Let them go!" Rini ordered, she too wriggled; trying to get away from her own prison.

"Now why would I do that?" Wynter mocked, brushing back her own hair from her face. "When we're having so much fun." She crossed over to them. Looking down at each of them, contemplating on who she should pick off first, she played einny-meany-miney-moe.

"Now who shall it be?" she teased them, making her sword stop in front of the blonde that gave birth to her. "You." She swung her sword around, coming dangerously close to cutting off something on Sailor Moon's face.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" the sudden question had her coming to a halt. She looked over at Sailor Neptune.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She didn't know that she was about to a get her answer.

She never saw the glowing gold chain coming around her; trapping her arms at her side, she dropped her weapon. It alarmed her when she witnessed all of her lovely Venus Fly Traps were suddenly frozen, allowing their captives to break free of their now fragile prisons.

"No!" astounded that her plan was falling apart so quickly by one small oversight, she teen squirmed around; Venus was not letting go. Pulling back the reins, she did the best she could to keep the girl from getting free. She didn't have to wait long before help arrived. Uranus, Pluto and Mars aimed their attacks, pointing them directly at Wynter.

Golden and Violet globes combined with a fiery phoenix zipped through the air, bulldozing the wicked sister. She yelled in distress as she flew through the air, hurtling down into concrete causing a crater where she laid motionless.

Sailor Moon looked on a second longer before rushing over to her daughter. She pulled angrily at the ropes, trying to break its hold of her. It wasn't until when Tuxedo Mask came over; cutting her down with a rose did she become free.

Instantly the couple hugged the child as if their lives depended on it. Their worry and grief was finally over. Rini was in their arms at last, safe and sound, and the terrible sister was defeated.

Or so they thought.

The Scouts watched in disbelief as the teen they thought they had overpowered walked out of her grave with ease. Her body was scraped and bruised from their attacks; but she was up on her two feet.

Rage burned in her eyes; her teeth were gritted hard enough to break. Her hands were fisted at her sides as evil energy poured from her.

"You think that was enough to stop me?" She raised both palms in the Scout's path. "You're sadly mistaken." An explosion of power burst off her, colliding with the others. They were powerless against the force; throwing them in every direction, they hit buildings, walls, and the ground hard.

The heroines moaned in suffering as the remaining three watched in despair.

Wynter didn't get any satisfaction from their pain and wouldn't until she finished what she had started.

Swiping her sword off the ground, she stalked her parents and sister who stood in fear. There was absolutely nothing they could do. They were drained of all their energy. Tuxedo Mask covered the two in protection, his back turned to her. He feared that this would be their final battle.

Shielding themselves, they didn't see as Wynter raised her blade, ready to swing down one last time.

Fortunately for them, Wynter didn't see the flat, black shoe being hurled at her face. The mild unexpected impact caught her off guard as a hard fist made contact.

Bewildered by the sudden force caused her to stumble back. She couldn't gather her bearings in time to block the left jab to the gut, the right hook to her jaw, or the power roundhouse kick to her head sending her to the ground once again.

Tuxedo Mask heard the sounds of bone hitting bone, but he didn't move until it finally ended. Turning around, he gasped, taking a look at the girl that was eating pavement and the other one that walked back to get her discarded shoe.

A sigh of relief came from his woman. A hand placed on her heart; she just knew that they were going to be finished. She looked up at the man who had bravely protected her. Puzzled that he was staring off into space, she looked over in the same directing as did Rini.

Surprise gasps came out as a response to the young girl in front of them who was adjusting her shoe by tapping it lightly on the ground.

"Wynter…" without warning, tears started to flow from her eyes. Hearing her name, she looked at her younger sister.

"Hey Rini." She braced herself when the girl rushed over to her, jumping into her arms. She wrapped herself around her, weeping uncontrollably.

"I knew it wasn't you! I knew you weren't evil! I just knew it!" the elder sister said nothing. Listening to her sister's incoherent statements, she rocked her back and forth, stroking her back like she would an infant.

"Thanks for believing in me. I always knew I could count on you." She would have comforted her longer. From what she was told, they all had been through a great ordeal, but the evil twin was starting to revive herself.

She gave one last squeeze before placing her on the ground. Crouching down to her level, she wiped the wetness from her cheeks. "Now what I want you to do is stay with Mama and Papa and get far away from this area, ok?"

She straightened when Rini nodded in agreement. Pushing her towards the two, she didn't need look back at them to make sure they were out of harms way.

Steadying herself, Wynter grabbed her weapon of the ground. She was pissed to say the least. She was almost there; if she had had one more second, she would have won. Now she was dealing with trouble; a lot more than she could ever handle.

"You just had to show your ugly face, didn't you!" she roared in fury.

Wynter said nothing as she looked at the other. She couldn't believe her eyes or ears. She was definitely looking at the mirror image of herself, a more demented, twisted, evil image of herself. Everything from the curls on her head, to the soles of her feet; it was all her. But how was it even possible?

"Who are you?" she noticed the other rolling her eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" With a fast flick of her wrist, flames shot out of her finger tips. Taken off guard, Wynter was slow to react.

"I'm you." she finished, happy that she hit her mark. The marks on her face and arms resembled hers to a 'T'.

And she had her powers too? This was too weird for her. But she wasn't about to let some small oversight foil her. She may have her powers, but they were no match for hers.

"So what, you planned to look like me, even copy my powers, all for what? To defeat the Sailor Scouts and rule the world?" as she spoke, she opened her hand. A small orb appeared before shaping itself into her sword; one that was an identical match to the other.

"How about trying to be a little more original?"

Wynter licked her dry lips. This was going to be a battle that she refused to lose.

Without warning, both girls charged at full force.

TBC!

PLZ REVIEW!

SMOOCHES! :D


	12. Love, Wynter

Chapter 12: Love, Wynter

The others looked on, feeling mixed emotions as Wynter and Wynter battled it out. The fight was so intense; they were forced to find shelter as waves of energy rolled off them with every hit of their blades. Not only were they sword fighting, but the earth's elements were put into play. Trees and blocks of concrete were hurled in the air. Small tornadoes and hurricanes clashed while fire and water canceled each other out. It was an all-out-war and it was hard to who was winning.

Wynter jumped back, dodging another powerful blow. She breathed heavily whilst the other looked as if she hadn't even broken a sweat.

This was not looking good for her. She had trained so hard, she would be damned if she wasn't going to come out on top.

"You may have all the right features and attributes." The other began. "But when it comes down to it, you're nothing more than a second rate version."

Wynter barred her teeth, growling at the snide remark. She wasn't going to be made a fool of. She looked over at their audience and then an idea came to her. If she couldn't knock her off her game physically, maybe she could do it mentally.

"If I'm not every bit of you, then how is it that I know every deep secret about how you feel towards them?"

Wynter made a face that told the other she was clueless as to what she was talking about. The teen smiled, finding an opening she used her power of earth.

Wynter didn't even see the slab of the broken asphalt as it swung like a bat, knocking her across the street. She smashed into a window. Raining glass showered her as she fell to the ground.

"I know how you feel about them." She reiterated, watching carefully as she stood up. "You truly hate them. You can't stand them. Mama told stories about how great you were. Papa told you how strong you would become. Little did you know that they were spouting nothing but lies! They feared you. Your own parents were afraid of you that they sent you away! They abandoned you and made a life with their new daughter."

Wynter couldn't shake herself out of her stupor long enough to protect herself. A whirlwind came upon her, thrashing her about. She skidded to the ground.

She managed to stand up, but with trouble. Her body burned in pain; several layers of her skin had scraped off when she slid on the broken pavement but that wasn't about to stop her.

"You hate the Scouts for making you look like a fool, defeating you time after time after time. You envy them for having the power that you desperately craved. Even Rini is now a Sailor Scout. How much hate ran through your veins when Mama told you the news? How much anger and jealously do you still hold on to today? You want to be the best, but you can't and you blame them for it; all of them."

Wynter jabbed the steel tip into the cracked ground, supporting her weight on to it like a crutch. She bowed her head; her curled hair shadowed her face as her shoulders began to shake, her body shivered.

The other placed a delightful grin on her face. She had broken her, finally. Now she would be able to crush her like a bug.

It wasn't until she heard fits of giggles did she realize she was wrong.

Giggles turned into laughs that turn into full roars of hysteria. Wynter laughed so loud and hard that she began to cough.

"Oh…oh it hurts when I laugh." She laughed harder like a mad woman; tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "That was good." She pulled herself together, her laughter had died down. "If I was self-loathing and wanted to blame someone for it, I probably would have believed you." She was enjoying herself so much, she had forgotten about the pain. She rolled her stiff neck and shoulders.

"I don't know how you did it, but you really do know how I was feeling at the time." She surprised everyone by her words; she admitted that everything Wynter had said was in fact true.

"I mean, at one point and time, I did have those feelings. I did feel that Mama and Papa lied to me, that the Scouts did make me feel like I was weak and yes, I was jealous that Rini became a Sailor Scout and not me."

With every word she made, Wynter took one step close until she was standing just an arm length away. "But…I only felt that way for like...two day!" Her swift sword skills caught the other one by surprise. She was able to block the attack, but was thrown off by the sudden strengthen.

Just a few moments ago, she was barely able to stand. Now she was moving around as if she wasn't badly injured.

"You're an idiot." She sneered at her twin. "Do you really think that I'm that self absorbed I would blame my family, the people that I love, for everything little thing that didn't go my way?" she swung again, keeping the other one on her toes.

"Let me break it down for you so you understand." As she spoke, she wielded her sword like a master, cutting Wynter down to size.

"I wouldn't be who I am now if it weren't for them. Sounds cheesy, I know, but it's true. If it weren't for Pluto, I would have a great perseverance of being punctual. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but being on time is a hard task in this family." She gave herself enough leeway to give a quick glance behind the two girls that were always late.

"If it weren't for Neptune, I wouldn't have a love for music. I would starve if Jupiter didn't teach me how to cook. Venus taught me how to dance, Mars gave me my passion to sing and if Mercury didn't instill ways on how to study properly, I would have brought nothing home but bad marks."

Hearing such praises coming out of the princess's, the others could finally see the difference between the two.

"And let's gets something straight, I could never, ever be so jealous of my sister that I would hate her. Sure I was upset when Mama told me that she had become a Scout. I mean, duh! Who wouldn't? But I'm proud of her. Always have and always will."

Wynter tried her best to hold her own. Every hit that she blocked seemed to become more powerful. If she didn't think of something fast, she was going to lose.

She used the last little bit of her magic. As if pulling an invisible string, Wynter was able to cause two buildings to come crashing down, one towards her; the other towards the helpless crowd.

Wynter paid it no mind; no more than a sliver of her magic was used to stop the buildings in mid fall seconds before crushing them all, the tower fell back onto their original foundation as if she had hit the rewind button on time itself.

"And the same goes for Mama!" She never missed a beat. "I could never hate Mama, ever! She only sent me off to that Academy for my safety so I could be a better warrior. I never felt abandoned, neglected, weak; none of that! I felt taken care of, supported, and most of all loved." Twisting her body, she used her momentum; slicing upwards, she cut through Wynter's blade.

She stood with a smug look on her face. "If it wasn't for Papa, I would have never become an excellent swordswoman like I am today and I wouldn't be able to do that." She pointed to the broken steel that stuck out of one of the mutant Fly Traps.

"And it's because of Uranus…" she paused, giving the imposter good doses of punches and kicks. The last one sent her a couple of inches in the air. She rolled a few times before landing just at the edge of the crater.

"I wouldn't know how to properly kick your ass!" She told herself not to laugh, that the whole situation that she was in was nothing to laugh about. But seriously…someone actually thought she could beat her just because she was practically her twin. It was clear that it took a lot more than looking the part that made a woman a great fighter.

_Oh God! I sound like Papa! _Wynter dreaded as she walked over to her fallen foe.

This time she wasn't surprised; she had predicted that she was only playing possum. So when the defeated one tried to blast her with a ball of fire, the other was ready, throwing out a wall of water, extinguishing the flame.

A plume of white fog soon engulfed them until they weren't visible.

She didn't expect her to throw the broken sword; moving out of the way quickly enough to not cause internal damage, through the jagged edges sliced at her arm. The small wound burned, causing her to hiss loudly.

Before she knew it, she was on top of her. They rolled and tumbled together, digging and clawing her, trying to do as much damage as her weak body could. After she was thrown off, Wynter disappeared defeated and humiliated.

The wounded warrior was confused at the last minute attempts of attack. She felt like it was a waste; she really didn't do anything by scratching like a cat. Diana's claws hurt worst than hers.

Dusting herself off, Wynter moved her hand around in a small circle getting rid of the thick fog.

When the white cloud dissipated, there was only one teen girl that came out of it. As luck would have it, they didn't know if it was the good Wynter or the bad one.

Once they were in the cloud, the rest could only see their silhouettes and then nothing. They were banking on seeing how badly injured she was; the real Wynter had less wounds on her body. But with the fresh scratches on her face and body, they were all at a lost.

Silently, they prayed that it was really the true daughter. If not, being extremely exhausted of power and crippled with multiple wounds, they were all done for.

"What is everyone staring at?" Wynter looked at everyone, suspicion was written on their faces. "It's me…honest." She really didn't know how to convince any of them. Though they were her family and friends in the future, here in the present she was nothing more than a stranger.

She wasn't going to get an answer. She had gotten sidetracked by the reunion and her small cat fight at the end; she had forgotten that they weren't out of danger.

The ground beneath them began to rumble. Sharp green vines sprouted up from the cracks like weeds. From the pit of the crater came an enormous Venus Trap. Its head was a big as a planet with the same powerful razor like teeth and the same venomous juices watering its palate.

Horror filled their hearts. They were out of power and now there was evil greenery on the loose again, bigger than the last ones they faced.

The only one who wasn't scared was Wynter. She gave off a look of boredom as she stood in between the menaced looking plant. She was so tired that she didn't even know if she could make a fist let alone fight another battle.

"You have to find the heart!" Sailor Moon called out to her which didn't please her.

"Great." Wynter muttered sarcastically. "I have to go on a scavenger hunt." Her thoughts were disturbed when the Fly Trap roared, thrashing dangerous roots around. Knocking over buildings and anything else that was in the destructive path.

"Is she crazy?" Sailor Venus watched with the others in distress. As large portions of debris fell, Wynter never made an attempt to move but gave the monstrous beast a deadpanned look.

"No, sometimes she gets lazy." Rini explained; unlike the others, she wasn't worried about the teen.

"Well now is not the time to be lazy!" The girl in question pretended not to hear the aspired idol. She knew what she was doing. Reaching down, she picked up a large branch that had splintered from its trunk. Playfully she swished it back and forth in front of the plant.

"Here boy!" she whistled, getting its attention on her. The beast roared moving towards her. Every step that it took vibrated through the earth. "Here boy! You want it?" she moved the huge stick back and forth. The giant green head followed it.

To everyone's dismay, the Venus Trap lowered its head, its large tongue flapped out. It began to pant and moved like a puppy.

"You've got to be joking." Tuxedo Mask stared in disbelief as the girl continued to taunt the green monster.

"You want it, don't ya boy!" Wynter teased it. "Go and get it then!" Taking her arm all the way back, she flung the branch; and with the help of her earth abilities, it went far. Without hesitation, the plant ran down the road to fetch it.

Wynter said nothing as she turned around. She flashed off a big goofy grin at the people that gawked at the unbelievable display. "I manipulated its mind…did I forget to mention I could do that?" she laughed, making a beeline for the hilt that she discovered moments before she decided to play fetch.

It was a replica of the one she held in her hand but the glass jewel that shined with a murky green was a dead giveaway. She placed it under her shoe.

"So I'll see you guys…whenever this spell was cast." Taking the tip of her sword, she pressed down. The orb cracked, shattered, and a cloud of green engulfed them all.

* * *

"You idiots!" the eight women bowed in absolute terror. They had failed again and this time, their master wasn't overlooking it.

"You all have failed me for the last time!" he set his sights on Tamanna, Brie, Vani, and Mandara. "Your chances are over." A small black disk spun in his hand. It grew bigger and bigger until it was the size of a dinner plate.

The sisters huddled around each other. They had seen first hand what that black disk could do. They were going to feel nothing but sheer agonizing pain for several minutes, first the body, then their soul would be ripped to shreds before expiring.

"Wait!" Bravely, a battered Wynter stood up. "It's not their fault. I…I told them what to do. It was my plan."

"You?" to the sister's relief, the disk vanished. The cloaked man stepped forward, punching the already injured princess in the face. She slammed to the ground. "Who told you to interfere! Who gave you permission?" He could feel his control slipping. His body was filling up with blackness. He could have destroyed them all right then and there. "It because of your meddling that has caused all of this. Because of you, we have lost all the time that was allotted. Now, that other girl has shown up. You've ruined me!"

"She's helped us." To her surprise, Tempest came to her defense. "She has given us vital information to help us end the Sailor Scouts. If it weren't for her we would have wasted our spells."

"You _have wasted_ your spell." Their master pointed out. "You've wasted your energy and _my_ time!"

"But we can fix this. We can make it better and still complete our mission."

There was a painstaking break of silence. None of the women were certain if Tempest had persuaded him. They couldn't run or hide of him, so they would be paying the ultimate price if she hadn't.

"Second chances are not something that I give out on a regular basis." The words that came from behind the white mask didn't ease their panic. Some continued to tremble even after he started to walk away from the group. "I will not be generous a second time." He slipped through the shadows.

Only until his ominous presence was lifted from the room did everyone feel that they were going to live to see another day. Amora gathered Brie and Tamanna in her arms, smoothing away all of their fears. Vani fanned the sweat from her face; never had she'd been so afraid.

Tempest looked on at the woman that had caused them to be there in the first place.

"It was because of your anger and frustration that caused us to fail." She wasted no time to pointing the blame. "If you had remained calm, you would have won." Even though she was the last person to talk about losing her temper, she had every reason to let her have it. "My life and the lives of my only family were in danger and it was all because of you."

Wynter knew that she had fucked up royally. She didn't need to have Tempest or anyone else to kick herself in the ass. She was doing fine in that department all on her own.

Tempest felt it was time that she placed herself back in the leader position. "From now on, we go by what I say."

* * *

"Alright, Serena." Her father grabbed her attention, waving about fifty dollars worth of carnival red tickets in his hand. He gave the same amount to her brother. "You kids enjoy yourselves." He called out, taking his wife by the arm; he led her into the immense crowd.

"Come on, Rini! You ready to chow down!" Sammy asked excitedly.

"Yeah!" and with that, they two ran, giggling madly.

This was the one day that Serena didn't mind repeating. Never would she have thought that she would have to enjoy the city's food festival for the second time in less than a week.

_Oh the agony, the torture. What a cruel, cruel world we live in_. She laughed at herself.

Clinging on to Darien's arm, she couldn't wait to try more of the delicious food again.

"Are we really going to eat here?" the teen looked up at her boyfriend who had nothing but disgust written over his face. "I mean, this is where we got caught the last time."

"I think I'm going to agree with Darien." The designer was also unsure of the festival. Remembering the threat that was conspired and the devastating results, she didn't want to go through the same thing again.

The words that were brought forth by a jealous heart were things that the girls weren't bold enough to speak aloud. They had mended their feelings. Apologizes were made and the whole situation was left in the past. However, it was highly unlikely that it would be forgiven a second time.

"But that was last time. We've already established that those witches can't cast the same spell twice." Serena wasn't trying to hear that she couldn't sample all of the wonderful food that were calling her taste buds.

"Yeah, but…" Even Amy was concerned.

"Look, we'll just keep an eye on one another." Serena persuaded them. "If we see that one of us is eating uncontrollable…you know even for me." She smiled. "Or become extremely hostile or greedy, then we'll know."

"Yeah…" Mina began. "Or if you and Darien decide to go all out in a sex frenzy in one of the booths." Her reference to the deadly sin of lust mortified the other blonde.

"I'm going to get you for that." Serena jumped at Mina who screamed loudly, running in between their friends starting a one on one game of tag.

To their satisfaction, nothing out of the usual went wrong, though the group did stay clear of all cookies. Hell, anything sweet was out of the question.

Going their separate ways but still keeping in sight of one another, the thought of being attacked had drifted from their minds.

Like before, the day was the best day ever.

"Hey!" Lita turned to the sound of the small voice that had erupted from behind.

"Aw man Rini! Your hands are a mess!" The tall brunette laughed when the tiny tot licked her fingers of all the flavorful juices from her last meal. She scrunched up her nose when she was given a napkin to clean them appropriately.

"Where's Sammy?" Serena wanted to know.

"He went with his friends, like last time, and left me with your parents. I told them I was going to stay with you."

"Oh." The mammoth crowd had died down by only a fraction. By this time, they would have left, having their bellies full and pockets emptied, there was no need for them to stay any longer.

"Look." Michelle got everyone's attention. Pointing down the way, the other's followed in the same direction. No more than a few feet away was Wynter, or whom they expected to be the real Wynter.

Her hair was pulled up into two buns; braids fell down tickling the back of her knees. Now out of her school uniform, wearing a multi-colored off-the-shoulder blouse and shorts paired with sandals. She seemed to busying balancing a plate of seafood and cup while trying to eat everything at once to notice that they were no more than a few steps away.

"How do we even know that's really her?" Serena grabbed a hold of her daughter's hand. Keeping her from running to the teen; she needed to make sure that she was the real deal.

There eyes widen when she started to spin, rotating her hips slowly. She seemed to be dancing, and in front of a crowd of people no less, towards them. Her mouth was moving in an odd way as well. It wasn't long before they heard her singing_*My disobliging ways are a matter of habit. _

_Now if you offer me fish then I always want a feast_

_And if there isn't any fish then I won't eat a rabbit. _

_If you offer me cream then I sniff and sneer. _

_I only like what I find for myself. _

_But you'll catch me in it right up to my ears_

_If you put it away on the larger shelf! _

"Yeah!" Rini grinned, breaking away from the blonde; she raced over to the girl that was the same age. She lunged at her, clinging to her leg. "This is Wynter! Definitely!"

* * *

( *): so I also love Cats the Musical… sue me! :P The Rum Tum Tugger is the best! XD

4/15/12 A/n: Yeah! It's aaammmaaazzziinnngg to be writing again that has nothing to do with formal papers for graduation. ALTHOUGH, school is a must! Lol! So I guess I'll post a few more chapters here, finish up my last story that's been up forever with NO updates, and start some new ones. :D

SMOOCHES


	13. Mission Statement

Chapter 13: Mission Statement

_Wynter sat on the bench just outside the Academy's gardens, thankful for the small moments of silence and solitude. When her mother sent her here, she hated it. She was a newcomer, somewhat of an outsider, and everything was so new to her. Most of all, she felt like she wasn't as special as she thought she was. So many people that were enrolled possessed all kinds of powers; powers that were strong and powerful, silly, absurd, and some were just down right weird. _

_She didn't feel like she belonged there; she was trained well enough by her father and the Scouts that she knew it would be a waste of time going through lessons and practicing at school. But she found out quickly that there was a big difference between her and those that had been enrolled for a number of years. When she was thrown on her ass by one of the second years, realization set in that she was in over her head and there was a lot to be learned. Five years passed since then and now it was graduation. She was going to miss everything about her school._

"_Wynter!"_

"_Wynter!" her named being called twice by two different people told her who was running up to her. _

_The princess smiled, waving at the twin aliens, Reeka and Meeka. Those weren't their real names. When they had introduced themselves in their native tongue, their names were no where near similar to one another, but Reeka and Meeka was the only thing that Wynter could decipher so that's what she called them as did the rest of the school. They hailed from the great planet of Rodeciea, in Galaxy Four. If you gave her a map, she still couldn't tell you where that was. _

"_We've been looking for you!" Reeka was the loudest of the duo. The orange hair beauty flashed a grin that told the other that she was up to no good. _

_Behind them was her other friend, Marisol, It surprised her when she found out that the slim blonde was from Earth, living somewhere in America._

"_Look what we found!" The bubbly alien held out a small pink box. No doubt it was a gift from her parents. Because parents weren't allowed at the Academy, for graduation, they sent gifts to their children. _

"_I don't think you _found_ it." _

_Reeka pursed her lips. "So we went into your room, big deal!" _

"_No, _you _went into her room. We told you to wait." Her twin ratted on her. Out of the two, Wynter was more close to Meeka. Trying to control the force of lightening, they often trained together._

_Black eyes forming into slits, Reeka hissed like a cat. Wynter was used to the Rodeciean verbal arguments; the loud bursts of shrieks and whistles weren't annoying at all…at least for the first thirty seconds. _

"_Alright!" She had to stop the noise. Slightly irritated, she snatched the present addressed to her. Pulling the silver ribbon and lid away, she pulled out two golden crescent moons encrusted in silver crystals. _

"_They're beautiful." Both twins sighed in awe at the jewelry. The light reflected off them as she put the earrings in. _

"_I love them." Wynter gushed, tearing up a little. _

"_Well, if you love them so much, maybe I can have your other gift." Marisol said suddenly. It baffled her how slow the girl talked as if she always took a breath with each word. It was ironic the one of her powers was super speed. She guessed her feet had nothing to do with the blonde's speech. It droved Wynter insane in the beginning, but she learned to live with it. _

_She watched as she pulled behind her a sheathed sword that had her heart leaping for joy. _

"_Oh, yeah. That tops the earrings." Reeka was a walking, talking lie detector, able to tell if someone was lying even if they breathed the wrong way. She was also an Empathic. _

"_It's from Papa." The sound of the blade unsheathing sent pleasurable sparks down her spine. She inspected every inch of it. The detailing was impeccable, the weight was perfect. She knew that her father had made it especially for her and it wasn't because her name was engraved on it. _

_Carefully she hugged it close to her chest. Reeka was right; this did top the earrings. _

"_I'll totally bite your fingers off." She gave Meeka the evil eye when her hand reached out to grab the weapon._

"_Fine." She blew out a breath, "We have to get ready anyways. The ceremony is in two hours and Reeka wants Marisol to do your hair." _

"_What! My hair!" she grabbed the two braids that flowed down her back. "What's wrong with it?" _

"_Nothing's wrong. We're just sick of the same style!" _

"_It's…it's a lot to handle." So this is what the loudmouth was up to. She wasn't sure about the temporary makeover. She really didn't like anyone messing with her hair. _

"_Don't worry, I'm confident that Marisol can handle it. Right?" _

"_Right." The stylist nodded. _

"_I don't know." While the girl was trying to convince her friends that there wasn't anything special about having her hair down and her hatred for having her hair touch the back of her neck and so forth, they didn't notice the boy that was standing behind them, witnessing their antics. _

_Marisol looked over her shoulder; her eyes widen slightly at their unexpected guest. She tapped Meeka. _

"_Oh." She looked on in disgust. "It's you. What do you want?" _

"_Nice to see you too, Rodeciean." The dark boy tucked his hands in the pockets of his black pants. Meeka had a known dislike for the teen. Not everyone at the Academy was good and kids like Koji didn't come any badder. _

_His midnight hair was slicked back for the school celebration, feathering out at his collar. His glaring red eyes stood out against his creamy skin. His tall frame pushed passed the defiant girls that wouldn't politely let him through. _

"_Hey Koji!"_

_Koji had been wondering for the past five years if Reeka had a volume dial on her voice or if she even aware that she was a thousand times louder than the average person. _

"_I want to talk to Wynter." He said suddenly, looking at the three girls. _

_They didn't move._

"_Alone." He made it clear that he wanted a private conversation. _

"_Ok!" gladly taking the hint, she brushed off her plaid skirt before dashing away._

_Reeka had known of their feeling for one another a long time ago; however the two of them had a lot of complications in the way so no one revealed to the other their true feelings, starting a rivalry between good and evil. Only until recently were their hints of subtle flirting and stolen glances in the classroom. So cliché, but that was life amongst teenagers._

_Hooking her arms around her sister's and the other girl's she pulled them away. The two kept their eyes on him a second longer, wary of his actions. _

_Wynter was silent. Upset that her friends had abandoned her to be in such an awkward moment._

"_Nice blade." Koji broke the silence, taking the empty seat next to her. _

"_Thanks. My father had it made for me." She didn't know what to say to him. He was her partner during practice. So when they fought, she could easily hide her butterflies. She knew she was wrong. Most definitely wrong; she was a direct descendant of good that vanquished evil while he was the polar opposite. Celestials were easily one hundred times more powerful than anything the Negaverse could pull out of their hats._

_And yet, she fell for him. _

"_So, this is probably the last time we'll see each other again." He felt just as awkward if not more then she did. _

"_Yeah, can't believe it's been five years already" she looked around, trying to find anything to focus on but him. She was worried she would turn to mush if she looked at him for too long. _

_Koji knew he was losing her fast. She wasn't even looking at him. Why did he have to be cold-hearted? Why couldn't he be more in touch with his feelings and actually say what was on his mind._

_Well saying what was on his mind wasn't hard for him. He bit his tongue for no one. It was the thought of getting rejected that was putting him off edge. But the silence was killing him. _

"_You know." He started off, clearing his throat. "I've never met anyone…that is as great as you are…" he stammered when he spoke, which was rare. Even rarer that his palms began to sweat when she looked at him with those deep blue eyes, fixated on his every word. _

"_Really?" she was not expecting those words to come out of his mouth. Taken aback, she wasn't sure how to respond. _

"_Yes." He was starting to panic. "you know, in sword fighting." Why did he add on that? "You're damn near the best." _

Just shut up._ "You're the only one in this school that almost matches my own skills." _

Oh someone just kill me now!_ He wanted to get up and leave. She was silent and staring making him feel like an idiot. _

_She gawked at him, baffled by his manners. Not knowing what to say or do, she did what she knew best; She laughed. She laughed good and hard to the point where she almost fell on the bench. _

_It was official; she thought he was a total moron. He wanted their seemingly last hours to be special, not comical. _

"_That's so sweet." Her words shocked him. "I never thought I would hear the day when you would praise my swordsmanship skills." She caught her breath; her laughs gradually died down. "You even admitted that I'm your equal." _

"_Almost. I said almost." _

"_Thanks." She gave him a heartfelt smile that melted his soul. _

"_Wynter…"_

"_Oh no!" the sudden outburst caused him to scan the surroundings in alarm. "My earring. It fell into the grass." She cursed the green lawn for being luscious as her hands roamed over it. _

"_Here," A long black scaly tail came into view; the tip curled around the retrieved jewel. "Let me." He closed the gap between them. As he fastened the earring in her pierced lobe, she told herself not to pass out from his faint touches and warm breath on her neck, _

"_Done." Though he announced it, no one made a move to get away from the other. As Wynter focused on the rose bush dead in front, Koji studied her profile that he had seen many times up close. Each time his thoughts were the same: she was the most beautiful woman he had laid eyes on. _

_Everything seemed to go in slow motion. His hand touching her face, bringing her to face him; their faces close that they exchanged air. Koji was the brave one, leaning in to kiss her._

"_Wynter of class C-8." She jumped back when her name was called. Paranoia set in; she thought they were being watched. "Wynter of class C-8, Report to the Head Mistress's office. Wynter of class C-8, report to the Head Mistress's office immediately." _

"_That's me." Slowly she got up, hoping that her leg would carry her weight. She didn't know what was going on. One minute Koji was putting in her earring and the next he was ready to kiss her! _

"_I have to go now. See you at the ceremony."_

"_Hey!" she turned and was caught off guard. She caught the object that was thrown in her direction. Opening her hand, she turned the long black whistle. She looked up in confusion. _

"_Whenever you need me, use that. I'll hear it wherever you are." _

_Wynter analyzed it closely; it looked like an ordinary dog whistle. She pressed it close to her heart before heading off to see the Head Mistress. _

_She had been to the woman's office on numerous occasions, most were because she's was in trouble. _

_Knocking on the large double doors, she waited for a reply. Since she was expecting her, she didn't find it rude to go inside. _

_She found the owner and principal of the Academy sitting behind her wide oak desk. Stacks of papers and folders were pilled high on all four corners. Head down, she was hard at work, writing on documents, though it seemed like she wasn't anywhere near done. _

_Never looking up, she gestured the student to have a seat. The only thing that kept them from being in complete silence was the scribbling of pen on paper. _

_Wynter looked at the woman in charge. Hair twisted and bounded to the side, the curled tail fell over the lapel of her jewel toned vest. The Head Mistress was over a half of millennia old; she didn't look a day over thirty. _

"_I've been informed of some depressing news." The pen clattered to the desk. Auburn eyes looked up to meet cerulean. Wynter remained quiet. The seriousness in her tone told her that it was bad news. _

"_Word from our clairvoyants is that there has been a lot of trouble happening on Earth." _

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Not now, but in the past. The 21st century to be more precise." Her memory began to work. _

"_Wait. That's the time my sister is in." panic bubbled in her system. "What's going on?" _

"_That's the problem. We don't exactly know for sure. There's and ominous evil presence that has blocked their sights. All they were able to gather was the time and place." She paused, folding her hands on her desk. "Hopefully, I'll have more information for you so you're not blindsided. Once the ceremony is over, I'll have someone transport you to the 21st century."_

* * *

"And now I'm here." Wynter finished off the last of her lunch as she explained the events that occurred just hours before she had arrived in the present day.

"Do you know who's behind all of this?" Raye sat cross-legged on the grass beside her,

"No." she shook her head. "All they could see was a man in shadows. With energy as black as his, everything was hazy. But what worries me is that the suspects may be one of the former students."

"What!" everyone exclaimed. "How can that be!"

Wynter shrugged her shoulders. "The Academy doesn't turn away anyone. Regardless of the person's background or linage, the Academy serves the purpose of helping developed hidden gifts in those all around the world and universe. What you do with your powers once you've graduated is of your own volition. It's of no concern to the school."

"This is unbelievable." Amara couldn't comprehend the news. They had seen first-hand that the school held no false pretenses. Wynter was extremely strong without a doubt. Who knew just how powerful this "shadowy figure" was.

"So now what?"

"We really can't plan this out." Wynter was doing her best to smooth out the situation. "You already know that you can't plan when we're going to be attacked and by whom." She fiddled with the strap of her shoe. She felt as if she wasn't doing them any good.

"But we can." Mina piped up. "Serena has been getting dreams lately and they've been a real help."

"What kind of dreams?"She looked over at the blonde for the answer.

"I've been getting a series of dreams. Mostly about you, but the events that take place sort of give us clues. So far they haven't been wrong."

The dark-haired teen pondered, her face scrunched up in thought. "The dreams may be a result of Mama's memories but… I can't really explain as to how."

"Do we want to know how she's doing it?" Mina asked.

"I guess not." Wynter admitted. "I just don't want to feel like we're depending on them. For Mama…I mean, Serena's sake." She smiled gently when the blonde blushed in embarrassment. It flustered her when Rini called her 'Mama' out of habit. Now she had a girl who was the same age as her call her that.

"No it's ok."

"I just haven't seen our parents in awhile; I came straight here, I didn't have time to see them. I'll try to remember that it's Serena and Darien, not Mama and Papa." Absently, the teen patted her little sister's head who leaned in for more connect. "But I'm pretty sure I'll slip up every now and again if I stay here long enough."

"How long can you stay?" Amy asked, watching the loving affecting between sisters.

"However long it's going to take." She look up at the Scout; an identical look of strength and determination mirror that Serena would give.

"I'm going to help you stop theses bastards."


	14. Love and War

Chapter 14: Love and War

Amora sat on the window sill. Her sisters had turned in for the night, allowing her to be alone for once. The full moon was her only source of light as she stared at the twinkling city below.

She coiled her finger around her red hair, causing the curl to tighten and spring pack into place as she contemplating on how to stop the Sailor Scouts. They were walking on thin ice at this point and unfortunately it was her turn; she definitely wasn't looking forward to it.

Fighting wasn't something that she did, per say. She was a lover, a fantastic one she might add, not a fighter. She flirted, teased, seduced, loved, made love, had sex (yes, there was a difference). She casted spells to make people fall out of love so she could muscle her way in and take the prize. Male or female, as long she was attracted to the person was all that mattered to her. She had a talent for unleashing the passion within others that were too scared to do it on their own. None of the qualities that she inhabited actually _screamed_ warrior.

She continued to play with the ends of her hair; sighing heavily. She would have to come up with a way to occupy their time and attention.

A long red nail tapped on the glass of Vani's hand mirror, shifting the images on display. She saw all of them resting peacefully. The blond with questionable taste in style slept snuggly next to what she deem as a perfect specimen of a man. She would have questioned his taste in women but she knew that the heart wanted what it wanted. Though she did remember that Wynter had once said that the pair hadn't taken their boyfriend/girlfriend status to the next level and become lovers. She was definitely going to have some fun with them.

She tapped the glass again, passing by the single ladies; there weren't physical males around, but maybe she could improvise.

_Hello._ The last image was of the blonde tomboy and her girlfriend. Unlike her other sisters, she hadn't had the pleasure of seeing them face-to-face. She wasn't so much interested in the green hair one. Her body was pressed against the other while the blonde, wide awake, stared at the ceiling. One arm was secured behind her head; the other hand absently stroked the crown of her girlfriend's head.

Something about those eyes captured her in a way she couldn't explain.

She didn't look up from the mirror when she heard her sister's feet shuffled on the stone floor.

"Couldn't sleep." She answered for her. Mandara had a very restless soul, despite her idle behavior. She waited until her younger sister climbed into her lap, making herself comfortable; the bones of her spine appeared through her skin as she curled herself in a ball in Amora's lap.

"Do me a favor Manda. Reach inside their dreams for me and pull out some stuff. I've got a plan.

Mandara let out a yawn. Stretching out like a cat, her bony fingers pressed against the glass.

"Ok." She said quietly, releasing her energy. Amora waited patiently as Mandara finished.

_This could get very interesting. _

* * *

_Serena walked through the shopping mall, touching different garments as she passed rack after rack of clothes. She couldn't believe the sale that was going on. Everything was marked down from 50%-75% off and her father just given her monthly allowance. She and the rest of the greedy customers grabbed everything that could in their arms as they raced to the cashier fearing that any second, the amazing sale would be over and the designer clothes and shoes would go back to their original prices. _

_Serena struggled not to drop a single item as she made it to the dressing room. She was limited on funds so she wanted to make sure what she bought, she was willing to live with. Hanging up several blouses, skirts, jeans, and dresses on the wall. She began to undress and redress. Trying on the first outfit, a fitted green blouse with a pair of skinny jeans, she left to take a look at the full length mirrors just outside the dressing rooms. _

_She admired her curves that were slowly developing; the shape of the jeans contoured them perfectly and the blouse gave that feminine sophisticated touch. Happy with them, she went back to try on more. _

_Two hours later, Serena had narrowed her choices down to ten outfits, but she seemed to having a hard time deciding if she should take the lavender dress with the asymmetrical collar. It would make for a great date dress and paired with the gray pumps, she'd look very beautiful. _

_She turned around, glancing at her form from the back. She smiled as she imagined what Darien would think of her in it. Deciding that he would do nothing but praise her, she made up her mind. _

_She grasped, when she caught another's person reflection in the mirrors. One that was too familiar. _

"_Seiya!" she turned to face the boy that had disappeared for so long. Without thinking, she rushed over to him. "What are you doing here?" she giggled when he embraced her, picking her up, he lifted her off the ground. _

"_I came here to see you, meatball head." He teased her, giving her a peck on the tip of her nose. _

"_What do you mean? Where are the others?" she looked over his shoulder only to see the fast moving crowd outside the dressing room area. They were too engrossed in their own shopping to notice them. _

_She had remembered what a hit he and the others were in the music industry and with the ladies. It was a wonder why there weren't any adoring fans screaming his name or tearing off his clothes. _

_She found that strange, but then again, it was a dream after all. But what she also found strange was that Seiya never let her go. She placed her hands on his forearms, looking up at him in confusion. _

"_Why would they be here?" he asked. "I said I came here to see you." Gently, he walked her back until they were stopped by the mirrors. "I've missed you, Serena." _

_It shocked her that she would be having a dream such as this. She'll be the first to admit that when the rock star and her crossed paths, they flirted slightly with each other, but it was harmless. Something she wanted to do to fill the empty void of her boyfriend's absence. But she never thought of a romantic relationship with him. Though after he had left when they found their princess, she realized that Seiya had strong feelings for her._

_She tensed when she felt his lips on hers, drawing her into a kiss. This was totally not right. She was dreaming about a man that wasn't her boyfriend. She thought about pushing him back. She thought about telling him to stop, that this wasn't right. But when his teeth grazed her bottom lip, a surge of pleasure traveled through her body. _

_She opened her mouth, letting out a sinful moan giving him the opportunity to taste her sweetness. _

_The blonde didn't protest when he pulled down the top half of the dress exposing her lacey pink bra. In fact, she obliged him. Lifting up to draw him closer to her the dress hiked up around her waist as she wrapped her long legs around him, pressing her slightly damp panties hard to the crotch of his jeans. _

_She would never in a _million years_ do what she was doing at this moment. But she was dreaming, so what was the harm?_

* * *

Amora laughed quietly, looking into the blonde's dream Mandara gave her access to.

"Did you do that?" her sister asked as she shifted uncomfortable, removing her gaze from the display on the mirror.

"No I didn't. I haven't even started." The lustful queen answered truthfully. But she was pleased because this little unexpected incident would help put her plan into action.

She fanned out her beloved Love Cards which possessed a specific feature of passion that each of the women held in their hearts. Chanting a whisper of the spell, she kissed each one. They dissolved into a small powder of red dust. She pursed her lips and blew, letting the pile of colorful specks escape out the window.

Now all she had to do was wait for morning.

* * *

Darien propped himself on his elbows, looking over at the restful girl beside him. He was sleeping soundly, but the constant moans and mummers brought him out of his slumber.

He watched as the blonde moved; pushing back the sheets with her feet. He could tell from the light sheen of sweat that she was hot. He was going to wake her, considered that she was developing a fever. When her lips parted, letting out a lustful moan, told him that she wasn't ill.

He quirked an eyebrow as she rotated her hips slightly and arched her back. More moans processed to escape. She tossed her head from side to side, clenching her eyes tightly; her face flushed.

His ego inflated as her small movements quickened. Obviously she was having a sex dream about him. He wished that she could be more demanding in reality than in her dreams so at least he could participate. He waited, and watched her hip rise from the sheets her mouth opened to release one last sexual sigh.

"Oooohhh…Seiya!"

_Say what?_ Darien was fully up now. She didn't just say another's man's name. She was _not _having a sex fantasy about another guy.

He worked his jaw as Serena came down from her high; finally she was coming back to reality. Her breath hitched as she tried to awaken. Her eyes focused in the dark, meeting her boyfriend's angered face. Confused, she sat up abruptly, afraid that something had happened.

"What? What's wrong?" she panicked.

Darien folded his arms over his chest with a scrutinizing gaze. "So,who the hell is Seiya?"

* * *

Darien tapped the steering wheel as he sat at the red light. The car ride was silent; not a peep from the couple as they traveled back to Serena's house. He was pissed, he could admit that and he would be damned if he would apologize for how he felt.

She dreamt about having sex with a guy that 1) he didn't know and 2) this guy was apparently his substitute while he was away or at least that was the explanation that was given. Either way, no matter how she put it, she was wrong and he let her know it.

He definitely wasn't going to apologize; he didn't care about the look she gave him. That sad, broken look as those blue orbs weld up with tears; that puppy dog look she always gave him that made him feel like the dick of the week. He had every right to be mad.

Ok, so he wasn't completely innocent; sometimes he would dream about other women, but he would never shout out their names in the heat of the moment, real or not.

Ok, maybe he sounded a little obsessed and maybe he did flip out because the little incident did flatten his ego. He couldn't fault her for dreaming about something that her body never experienced before and it wasn't like she was cheating on him, though he made her feel like she did.

He looked over at the girl; her head was still lowered in shame, her nails picked at the beading of her skirt. He could only imagine what was going on in her mind. He sighed inwardly. Yeah, he just won the award for Jerk-Off of the month.

Once he stopped in front of her house, she wasted no time getting out of the car.

"Serena." He grabbed her hand to stop her but the movement at the corner of his eye and her sudden gasp brought it attention to the front gate of the house.

A stranger emerged from behind the iron gates; his hair was dark and short, about the same height and weight as himself. He was dressed casually in a dark blue shirt and slacks; a small gold earring winked in the summer sunlight. Darien would have thought nothing of it, if he wasn't holding a bouquet of flowers and he changed directions when he saw Serena standing outside of the car that wasn't there when he arrived moments ago.

_No, no, no, it can't be._ Serena thought as the man approached her, beaming a blinding white smile.

Seyia laughed as he grabbed the blonde, pulling her into a warm embrace. Serena stiffen, knowing full well that she better not hug him back, not when she could clearly hear her boyfriend growling in the front seat.

Hearing the door slam hard enough to shatter glass, she knew this was _not_ going to end well.

* * *

Amara sat cross-legged on one of the many couches in the department store. Shopping was not her thing, but her girlfriend always dragged her along every time she wanted to go shopping. It wasn't like she would be any help; whatever Michelle came back with, Amara would just make a face whether she liked the outfit or not. She just wanted to speed up the process so she could get the hell out of here.

She observed the people around her; comparing most of the women as hungry lionesses, circling the garment as if it was a tender gazelle, and if that gazelle had the right price, she would pounce on it. If it so happened that there was another lioness on the prowl, be prepared to see some bloodshed where only one would come out victorious.

It was ridiculous to her. She liked nice things, don't get her wrong and there were a few days out the year where she splurged, but it wasn't to the extent of spending a thousand dollars on a pair of shoes. She would rather put that kind of money into a sports car.

Glancing down at her watch realizing that they had been in the store for over two hours.

She absently took notice to the woman who sat down next to her on the couch, dropping several shopping bags at her feet. Amara glanced down at her feet and thought how dumb the woman could be for wearing pumps while shopping. Her eyes wondered past the inappropriate footwear to her shapely legs that slipped under dark denim shorts, the black blouse hugged her torso just barely covering her large bust. Amara had never seen such an abundance of red hair on a single person before; even with several pins holding the locks they still exploded around her face. And what a face it was; she was definitely a looker. High, sculpted cheek, perfect slender nose, full flushed lips; her thick black eyelashes hide the color of eyes as she looked down.

The racer noticed that she had taken off one of her shoes; a red crease formed at the base of her toes. She flexed them while manicured fingers massaged her irritated flesh.

"This is the last time I try to look cute while shopping." The beauty complained.

Amara snorted lightly knowing full well that she was trying to draw her into a conversation. The red head threw off the other heel and set them beside one of the colorful bags next to her.

"I knew I should have worn my flats." She muttered. She tossed her foot over her knee; her fingers pushed deeper into her flawless creamy skin.

"Looks like you're used to them." Amara said after awhile.

"Huh?" Amara turned her head to face her and had to force her jaw to not become slack. She was met with the most beautiful golden eyes. Not hazel, not brown, but gold. She convinced herself that they were anything but genuine.

The girl gave her a small smile. "What do you mean?"

Amara refused to speak, not until she knew for certain that her tongue would relied the words that played in her head.

"Your feet, they look soft and there're no calluses, blisters, or cracks. It looks like you bought the wrong size which explains the shoe impression. Your small game of trying to pick up guys?"

A faint tint of pink crept up on her face. She shifted her hips so she faced her more. "You're very observant." Her voice was smooth and soft. "I think you're the first person to actually spot that."

Amara gaze traveled from her feet back to those golden eyes. "I've seen and know all the tricks in the book." She replied.

"Yeah. Definitely didn't bait anyone today though. It gets old and tiresome, the games I mean."

"Tell me about it."

"So are you shopping by yourself?"

"No, I'm actually here with my…friend." _Why did I say friend and not girlfriend? _"She's around somewhere going through like a hurricane I suppose." She tried her best to sound unaffected by the girl's gaze as she deliberately broke contact several times.

"I'm flying solo today." She gave the information without being asked. "But I was hoping that I'd leave with someone by the end of my shopping spree. No such luck." She giggled. "I'm Manami by the way."

"Amara."

"What a beautiful name to fit a beautiful woman." Amara blushed, looking away once again. No one had ever called her beautiful, ever. Not even Michelle. She said lovely, pretty, cute (even though she hated that), but never beautiful. She didn't know how to respond to the comment.

She heard Manami laugh again; infectiously enough it made Amara's heart jump.

"You're so adorable." There, another adjective that was never used to describe her. Before she knew it she was engaged in deep conversation.

* * *

Serena was desperate as she held her arms out, pushing back the two alpha males from ripping each other apart. It started off fine, well…as fine as it was going to be.

Darien had gotten out of the car, pissed as hell that some guy was twirling around his girlfriend. He tore the two away, getting in between them. Smart and snide remarks were made; apparently Serena forgotten to mention that she did have a boyfriend to the pop star which seemed to have ticked off said boyfriend even more.

But what really set everything in motion was when Seiya attempted to hand her the white lilies; a thoughtful gesture that was so small to her was a huge deal to him. Before the gift made it to the attended owner, her irate beau smacked them out of his hands; the fell into the nearby street.

The blonde didn't know if she was being brave or an idiot but her body took over and she wedged herself between them, fending them off.

Their voices escalated; curses and threats were thrown back and forth. Neighbors were starting to peer out their windows to see what the commotion was; people passing by were stopping to stare at the fight brewing across the street.

Serena could feel her embarrassment burning on her face.

"Guys, please!" she cried out. They weren't listening; too busy being testosterone filled meat heads to actually care about anything else expect who the girl, namely her, belonged to like her bottom was branded with _this is the property of _…

"I said stop!" with as much force as possible, she pushed the two back hard enough that it broke their heated argument. "You! In the house, now!" she said with authority as she did her best to shoved Darien through the gate.

"Seiya, I'm sorry. Today isn't a good time." As apologetic as she possible could she wanted the boy that dropped into her life, yet again, to leave.

"I'll leave because you asked so nicely." Seiya was talking to her but looked at the other male. Serena realized that the only one that was unnerved was Darien. Seiya was a cool as a cucumber as he gently took the hand that was once on his chest. He brought them to his lips sending the other male into yet another roar.

"You disrespectful son of a bitch!" If Serena hadn't held on to him, he would have lunged and took him out.

"If you ever get tired of this loud mouth, you know where to find me, Serena."

_No, I don't. But whatever it takes for you to get the hell out of here_. Serena thought, puzzled by everything that happened minutes before.

She turned beet red when dozens of eyes were still on them.

"Oh my God! Come on Darien." Wrestling with the adult she pushed him further onto her property. "I'll explain everything inside." Though what could she explain? Everything made absolutely no sense.

* * *

When Michelle came back from the cash register, juggling a handful of bags, she figured Amara had suffered enough of what she would consider pure mayhem and torture. She supposed she would make it up to her somehow. She expected to be in the same spot she was, sulking and fighting the urge to just walk out and leave her there. That's what she expected, anticipated.

What she _was not _expecting was Amara laughing, chatting it up with some gorgeous red head who was no doubt flirting. But why did the sight of the blonde smile make her blood boil? Maybe because it was the same smile that she gave to her; _only_ to her. It may sound crazy to the majority of people if she had said it out loud, but the woman knew when it was just a smile and when it was _The Smile. _

Her fingers gripped the handles of the bags as she stormed over.

Was Amara trying to piss her off even more? She had been standing behind her for a whole ten seconds before she finally noticed her presence. Was she so engrossed in their small talk that she really didn't notice her? Hardly! Amara knew when a piece of lint was going to fall on the upper left hand side of her shoulder as it was still in mid-air.

"Hey, Michelle. I didn't see you there." the other said between fits of laugher.

"So I see." Michelle bit back some choice words as she eyed the beauty. "I'm ready to go."

"Michelle, this is Manami." She offered the name, though she knew that if Michelle wanted the introduction, she would have indicted as such.

"Nice to meet you." The redhead welcomed as pleasantly as possible.

"Likewise."

"This is the friend you were talking about?"

Her eyes formed into slits. "Friends?"

Hearing the clipped tone in her voice, Amara knew it was time to go.

"I'll see you later, Manami." Amara called out as she ushered the irritated woman away.

"Yeah! Call me anytime ok!"

"Excuse me?" Thankfully they were out if earshot when Michelle made her outburst. "You exchanged numbers with her?"

"I don't see what the big deal is." She did not want to argue. They had been arguing for weeks now and she was sick of it.

"Oh, obviously! Since I'm only your _friend._"

"Look it just came out ok. And I didn't feel like there was any need to correct it so…"

The other knocked her back as she whirled around; her face hard as stone.

"So you just blatantly flirted with another woman in front of my face." She accused.

"I wasn't flirting. I was talking. And I wasn't doing anything in front of your face. You just walked in on our conversation." Amara could feel her temperature rising when she looked on at Michelle and not in a good way.

"Yes, that just makes it…"

"Listen." She was not going to be lectured about something she didn't do. "I didn't do anything wrong. You were the one that wanted to drag me along so that you could shop. What the hell was I suppose to do, just sit there and do nothing? She sat down, she started the conversation and we started to talk. What's wrong with talking? Any other time, you would have loved to see me socializing for once."

"Since you're in the mood to socialize, you can go back in there and I'll go home by myself!"

"Michelle…_lower_ your tone." Amara said low and dangerously. Other people in the store had stopped shopping to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Better yet, why don't you go home with _her_ instead!" Michelle was startled when Amara gripped her by her shoulders, pulling her close to her body. She knew she was pushing her buttons but couldn't she see that she hurt her by talking to the beautiful woman and didn't even acknowledge her existence? She had a right to be angry. But she wasn't expecting Amara to be as enraged as she was right now.

The anger swam in her eyes as she did her best to hold back whatever she wanted to say by clenching her jaw tight enough to break teeth.

"Don't tempt me." She finally said after a moment of intense staring.

"What…what is that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said; don't tempt me to take you up on that offer." She gave her a quick shove then she walked out of the department store.

As Michelle raced behind her, Amora toed on her pumps. Listening to every word of the lover's quarrel was like music to her ears.


	15. Love can be Evol

Chapter 15: Love can be Evol

Serena rung her hands together nervously as she paced her room. Thank God no one was home; her parents were out for the day, possibly on a date since it was the weekend. Sammy had spent the night at a friend's house, and Rini was out with Wynter for today. She had been practically every day since she decided to stay with them for awhile. But those people weren't on the top of her priority list. No, the man downstairs that was fuming on her living room couch was her concern. He was pissed to the Nth degree. She had never seen him so mad, and at her no less.

Of course she understood why; she had never told him about Seiya but she didn't feel the need to. He was out of her life just as quickly as he came in and it wasn't like they had anything special. They found each other attractive, but that was it. They never took it beyond that…oh, well…there was that kiss. But that was it! One kiss that meant nothing to her so she didn't feel like she needed to shout it to the world.

Oh…but there was that dream. But that was dream! It wasn't like she had planned to dream about him…in the dressing room…having wild sex…and then moaning out his name in passion… Darien heard her. And to put the pink icing on the cake, the _real_ Seiya showed up out of nowhere, with flowers, blatantly challenging Darien for her affection.

"Uuuuhhh…." Serena groan in guilt and despair; she felt awful. She could only imagine what Darien was thinking. That she grew tired of him. That while he was away for a short period of time, she had found someone to fill his spot; that she may have cheated on him.

She shook her head furiously.

_No, Darien wouldn't think like that._ She told herself. But it was doing her no good standing in her room talking to herself. She needed to go back down and explain to him everything, even if he didn't want to hear it or it would hurt his feelings.

She trotted down the stairs hoping that Darien had calmed down.

Confusion ran through her when she saw that he wasn't on the couch where she had left him foaming at the mouth.

"Darien?" she looked in every room. He wasn't in the house. Making it back into the living room, she noticed a slip of paper on the small coffee table. She recognized the handwriting. Her mood went from bad to worse as she read the sentence.

_I need time to think_.

… That was three days ago.

* * *

Amara knew in the next two minutes she would smash her head against the wall to knock herself unconscious just so she could escape from Michelle's whining. Since that day at the mall with Manami, she had been a pain in her ass. She knew why she was so irate; she had openly flirted with the stunning redhead. Yes, she would and had admitted it aloud. Big mistake on her part, though she was still paying the price for her indiscretion.

She never realized how insecure her girlfriend was until now and it was driving her up the wall! If the racer was going out, the violinist wanted to tag along, mostly to make sure that she wasn't going to repeat her mistake.

But the messed up part was if Michelle didn't want to go to Amara's destination, she would insist that she stay home and be with her. Of course sexual favors were added in the mix, which she definitely wasn't going to complain there, but Amara had grown tired of her childish ways. She would soon go out of her mind and smash Michelle's head against the wall just so she could leave without her breathing down her neck.

"Where are you going?" Amara said an oath under her breath as she was so close to leaving without being noticed.

"Out." She snapped, hoping the irritation in her voice would deter the other woman from following her.

"Ok. Let me grab my coat."

"Damn it, Michelle! What the hell is wrong with you?" Amara's breaking point was drawing near.

"What?" She was given a puzzled look. "I just want to spend time with you."

"No, what you want to do is chaperone me. I'm not a damn kid!"

She watched as Michelle tried to find which emotion was appropriate as a response: anger, embarrassment, sadness.

"Well, if I didn't think every time you went out you were flirting with every woman that walked by, I wouldn't have the urge to be with you." Amara figured that she was going to settle for bitchy.

"You make it sound like I'm the only one here in this room that flirts with other people!"

"With men." She added as if that falter the point Amara was trying to make.

"Oh! It's ok to flirt with other people as long as you're not sexually attracted to them! Thank you for clearing that up with the class!" Amara shouted her sarcastic remark, glowering at her.

"So you admit that you were attracted to her. I knew it! If I hadn't come around when I did, who knows what I would have witnessed."

"What? What would you have seen? My head in between her legs? We were in the mall for Christ's sake!" Her patience snapped. She was through. Turning on her heels she was ready to walk out and not look back.

"Amara wait!" She would have left out the door but Michelle wrapped herself around her arm.

"Get off Michelle." she growled as a warning.

"Wait, I don't know what has come over me."

"That makes two of us."

"Don't you see? It must be another attack. Another spell that's making us act this way." She concluded.

"Are you serious?" Amara pulled away to look at her. "You have been acting like this way before the attacks. You've been consistently nagging, controlling every little detail. Bitching when things don't go your way and blame me for it. You've been finding every little thing to argue with me about and I've had it up to here with your bullshit!"

"I wouldn't have to nag and control things if you would just comply with what I ask you to do! Every time I ask you to do the simplest of things, you bitch and moan and it takes you forever to do it. Don't you think I get tired of hearing you bitch and complain every five minutes! You're never around as much as you used to be, you don't listen to me when I talk to you. It's like a brick wall would be a better companion than you're being right now. And now it seems like all you want to do is walk the streets!"

"Well excuse the fuck out of me for living my life!" She was really going to blame all of their problems on her like she was the only one in the relationship.

"News flash! You're not the only person in your life!"

"Trust me. I won't have to worry about that anymore. I'm done."

Michelle's face drop. "Wait, Amara. What is that suppose to mean?"

"Just how I said it: I'm done." She walked out the door, slamming it behind her.

…That was three days ago.

* * *

Serena absently pushed her hand through the rack of clothes. She wasn't really shopping but she needed to do something to get her mind off of Darien. He had been avoiding her; he wouldn't pick up the phone, answer her text messages (she sent at least forty.) He was somehow never home when she would come by. It was taking all she had in her not to cry every hour of the day. Three days she hadn't seen him and they left behind a horrible taste in their mouths. If only he would give her the chance to explain so they could put this behind them and move forward.

"Miss?" her thought were interrupted by one of the saleswoman. Her bright smile didn't help her mood any. "Can I help you find something?" she had noticed for a while that the blonde had been wondering from rack to rack.

"Uh, no." she said distantly. "I'm just browsing."

"Well let me know if I can be of any assistance." She had left just as quietly to help the other customers.

She moved around the store again, brushing her fingers along the garments. Maybe because she was lonely that she was so depressed. Rini was still hanging out with Wynter; helping her pick out a small apartment to stay in while she was here. Her mother and father were around, but they wouldn't understand. They still weren't too keen on the fact that Darien was a little bit older than she was, well…at least her father wasn't too keen on it.

She pulled out her cell phone; maybe a little girl's night out was what she needed to boost up her mood.

"Hey Amy!" she called out after the genius answered on the third ring.

"_Hi Serena. How are you?" _

"I'm ok…I guess. You busy?"

"_Umm…at the moment…yes I am." _

"Oh." Serena's spirits when down a notch. "You think you have time to spare for me?"

There was a pause. _"Actually…I don't."_

"Oh…" her spirits took a huge plunge. "Ok then."

"_I'm sorry Serena. That sounded really mean. I'm working on this research and I got so caught up, I just can't stop." _

"Ok." That really didn't help her much.

"_It shouldn't take me too long. Once I'm done, I'll call you and we can talk then ok?" _

She hung up before she could even reply. Serena sighed heavily. She did sound super busy and distracted so she could understand her urgency to get her off the phone. She was probably finding a cure for cancer for all she knew. Luckily for her, she had more than one friend to call.

"Hey Lita…"

"_Hey Serena, can I call you back?"_ she sounded rushed and busy. _"My hands are full at the…"_ she heard a muffled sound, like she dropped the cordless handheld in something. _"Damn it! I dropped the phone in the cake batter!"_ Could barely be heard over the scrapping sound emitted through the receiver. _"Hey! Call you later!" _She screamed loudly before she disconnected.

The blonde stared at her phone and shook her head. She didn't even want to imagine the chaos that was going on in the brunette's kitchen. Scrolling down, she tried Mina…and then Raye; both of them didn't answer. Giving up, she stuck the device back in her purse. She would just have to suffer and be alone.

"Hey, meatball head." Her body stiffened when a large hand landed on her shoulder. She didn't want to turn around, knowing full well who was behind her. "Fancy meeting you here." Because she was determined not to turn around, the man walked in front of her.

_God, why me?_ She thought as she looked up at Seiya.

* * *

Amara sat alone in the café, arm thrown over the back of the chair that she slouched in a comfortable position. The place was moderately busy; people rushed in and out for their afternoon buzz, some stay inside to enjoy their hot or cold beverage with as side of something solid to consume. A trimmed fingernail tapped the screen of her cell phone. She was sick of being alone, though she made no attempt to contact Michelle to patch things up. She most definitely needed a break from that relationship. She dialed the number of the only person that didn't get on her nerves.

"Hi, Trista. What's gonna on?" she asked because of the blaring noise in the background.

"_Oh, nothing really."_ The other spoke over the sound of what Amara suspected was a machine.

"What's that noise? What are you doing?"

"_I've been…"_

"Cut off whatever is making that noise. I can't hear you."

"_Sorry."_ Finally she thought as the racket on the other end stopped. _"I've been working on this collection and I just can't stop. I have to finish. Amara! I can't wait for you to see it! It's going to be fabulous!"_ Trista gushed, revving up what the other now figured was her sewing machine.

Amara held the bridge of her nose between her fingers. Wasn't there a quieter machine? "Ok. Call me back when you're done being the next Vera Wang." She hung up before the other could respond, irritated that she could feel a headache coming on.

Great. Trista was her last hope of dissipating her boredom. She wasn't technically friends with the other girls so she didn't dare call them. She closed her eyes, letting the sounds and smells of the coffee shop settle her into a better piece of mind.

She hadn't closed her eyes for more than five minutes before she sensed someone approaching her. Because she had deliberately sat in the corner away from the other tables, there was no reason for anyone else to come near her unless it was to bother her.

"Hello, Amara." She didn't recognize the voice but she figured if they knew her name, she knew them. Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see the beautiful red head standing in front of her. "Did I wake you?" laughter hid behind her golden eyes.

"No. I was just thinking."

"Oh, well mind if I sit down while you think?" Manami brushed back one of the many pieces of her fiery hair that escaped from bundled gathered up in a medium size bun.

Amara straighten in her seat. "No, I could use the company." She smiled. "I bet your feet are killing you." She gestured to the sky-high beige wedges she paired with her ensemble of nothing more than an oversized black and white flannel shirt.

Her infectious giggled ran over Amara like a wave as she took her place opposite of her at the table. Hmm…well she wanted company, now she had it.

* * *

Serena sat outside in front of the massive mall eating ice cream that Seiya had treated her too while they talked casual. She had found out the real reason why he had returned and was relieved that it wasn't anything serious. He confessed that he had missed Earth and wanted to visit. Not because of an enemy attacking them and he had came back to recruit them, like she had suspected, to help out. He had pointed out that the reason why his brothers hadn't joined him on the trip was because they felt that their princess needed to be protected; though they all sent their love to her and everyone else that rescued her.

"Hm…so you just brought flowers for me just on a whim?" her question brought a blush to his face.

"I couldn't come to Earth without seeing you." He confessed. "It's been a while since we last saw each other." He shifted to face her. "I wasn't joking when I said I missed you."

"That's fine and all, but what you did was pretty messed up." Seiya quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "Don't act like you don't know what you did. You totally blew off Darien like he was nothing."

He frowned. "He is nothing."

"Seiya!"

"To me anyways. I don't care that I disrespected him."

"But he's my boyfriend. And if you disrespect him, then you're disrespecting me."

Seiya's frown deepened, thinking about what the girl had said.

"Then for that, I am sorry." He placed his hands over hers. "Let me make it up to you." He gestured. "Let me take you out as an apology."

"I can't." she tried to pull her hand away, but his grip was too tight. "Didn't I just say Darien's my boyfriend? What if he finds out?"

"How's he going to find out?"

"Because it's Darien. He finds out everything."

"Then don't tell him."

"I don't lie to him and I'm not going to start now."

"I'm not saying lie to him, I'm saying don't tell. What's the harm? I'm not going to do anything that you don't want me to do."

Serena couldn't understand why he was being so persistent. She didn't want Seiya to die by her boyfriend's hands and she didn't want him to go to jail.

"I don't know when's the next time I'll be able to come back. I want to take the opportunity. Please." He put on his best "manly" puppy dog eye look. God! And she thought Rini was the master at it.

She sighed heavily. "Seiya…I…" When he put her fingers to his lips, they tingled as her heart melts; how could she say no with such a look

"Serena?" It only took a half of a second for her brain to register the voice; her melting heart oozed slowly into the pit of her stomach. She didn't have a chance to take her hands away to get up and explain. She didn't have time to open her mouth as her said boyfriend, with a new fiery temper, punched Seiya between the eyes.

The unsuspecting blow dazed the other man as he cupped his face, blood seeped between his fingers.

Before her brain could process a thing, her feet were already moving, standing in between the two.

"Stop! Don't hit him again!" Serena was terrified by the look he gave her; for a second she thought he was going to hit her. This newfound anger she had never seen before; this temper.

Abruptly, he snatched her by the arm pulling her close to him. "Don't come near her again." His threatening growl was filled with promises of repercussions if he dared to oppose him. Darien ignored the cruses and threats thrown at him by the other. He pulled the blonde alongside him; walking in long strides, she found it difficult to keep up as she stumbled over her feet several times.

Serena knew that she was in for a world of trouble.

* * *

Amara wiped the tears from her eyes that were produced from laughing so hard. She didn't even care that there were other patrons looking in their direction. She tried to remember the last time she laughed the way that she did now. She still continued to chuckle as she looked down at the woman who had managed to find her way to her side of the table. She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to suppress her giggles. She rested her head on her shoulder. Fiery red curls tickled her skin.

She felt bad, in some way. She felt that it was wrong that she was laughing as much as she did with another woman that wasn't her girl. She felt like she must have been doing something wrong that she was having such a good time when Michelle wasn't around.

She saw Manami's liquid gold eyes looking up at her, though she wouldn't dare look back. Afraid she would be lost in them again.

"I think we're causing too much of a commotion." She said suddenly, placing her hand on her thigh. "Why don't we get out of here?" The question would have met nothing to Amara if it wasn't breathlessly purred into her ear. She looked at her confused as to what to say.

She couldn't…she wouldn't. She had been and always faithful; she wasn't going to break her streak. She wasn't…

It shocked her when soft lips pressed against hers and stayed for a moment longer than she would have liked.

_This is wrong_. The three words chanted in her mind as they broke apart.

_This is very wrong_. The words chanted in the back of her mind as she was brought to her feet.

_This is so wrong._ The words faded away as she led out of the coffee shop.

* * *

A/n: I just realized that I LOST 2 chapters of this story. WTF! I backed up my hard drive with my flash drive cuz my computer was corrputed and needed to be fixed. Fine. Now I plug in my flashdrive and I have everything BUT my documents! I have chp 15...& 18 Where's 16 & 17! -_- Whatever!


	16. Decisions to make

Chapter 16: Decisions to make...

"…and maybe tomorrow we can go to the amusement park. And after that we can go to that new chocolate factory that's downtown or…"

"We can do all of that, Rini, and more." Wynter laughed. Her head was dizzy from all the places her younger sister wanted to go to. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"I know." The youngest leaped, capturing her sister in her arms. "I'm just happy you're here." Wynter could concur. It had been almost five years since the last time she saw her sister. She could admit that she had missed spending time with her. Though the six year age gap, the two were each other's best friend.

"Wynter, will you be staying for dinner?" Serena's mother asked, watching the two dance around the room.

"Oooohhh! Please! Please stay!" Rini pleaded.

"I don't know. It's getting late and I don't want you adding another setting for me." Also the teen didn't feel right blatantly lying to the woman and her family. Well, a half lie.

When she first arrived at the home weeks ago, Ikuko saw the resemblance of her own daughter immediately and began asking questions. Thinking on her feet, Rini used her luna-ball and hypnotized the family. So now she was Wynter, Rini's older sister and their niece.

Honestly what were they supposed to do? Say 'hello, I'm your daughter's daughter. But we're the exact same age!' How would that look!?

"No, it's no bother at all. Serena called. She's staying over a friend's house tonight."

Wynter looked between the determined mother and the pink haired puppy.

How could she say no?

* * *

While Wynter was taking Serena's place at the dinner table, the blonde wished she could trade places with someone else. For the past two hours had been nothing but pure torture. Either Darien was yelling at her for practically going behind his back to see Seyia, making her feel ten times guiltier than she already felt, or ignoring her every time she tried to plead her case.

She had never felt so distant from him before than she did now; sitting on the floor next to her boyfriend who sat on the couch, she could feel the invisible wall wedged in the middle.

She fiddled with the ends of her hair. Every now and again, she would catch a glimpse of him. His body language said it all. He didn't want to be near her. He was angry with her; his body was tense, facing away from her pointing towards the balcony window. His face was turned, only showing his profile to her; contoured in a thought provoking scowl. The lines around his face were long and deep. His eyes, which were once filled with light now were shadowed.

Serena didn't know what to do to ease the tension that was suffocating her. The pair had been in many fights before. Hell, they've broken up several times. Had death stare at them in the face, even time and space have torn them apart. But they always seemed to find a way back to each other. So why was this predicament any different?

She was done being the bad guy.

"Excuse me?" the hard edge in his voice caught her off guard. She had realized that's what she was feeling, she had said out loud.

"I said, I'm done being the bad guy."

Slowly, Darien unfolded himself from his position on the couch. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The coldness in his voice cause tears to fill to the brim of her eyes.

"You're ready to play the victim now?" He accused.

"You're making me out to be the bad guy and I didn't do anything wrong!"

"You're unbelievable, you know that?" With so much pent up emotions swimming inside, he began to pace the floor.

"It's not like I _planned_ for Seiya to show up!" She was so frustrated. She could feel her face becoming flushed with rage. "And it's not like you're so innocent!"

For a split second, Serena almost regretted her words. The heat in Darien's eyes darkened with each passing moment as he glared at her.

"So, we're going to compare situations now?" he questioned, but he knew where she was going with this.

Though her body shook with fear, the rage within her outweigh it. "Women flock to you all the time! And you can't deny that you flirt back with them. Since you want to point the blame at someone, why don't you try looking at yourself!" The blonde was proud of herself for not crumbling to the floor like she would have, discarding the crybaby that she was once known as.

"And how does that make you feel?" The question threw her off guard, she stood there in silence. Darien rolled his eyes. She obviously didn't know what she was doing to him. "You can be so selfish and clueless."

"Wow, thanks for telling me how you really feel." She was done being the punching bag for his verbal insults.

"You never answered my question." It only took him two long strides to catch her from leaving the apartment. Wrapping his fingers around her slim wrist, he tugged her hard causing her to hit her back against the wall. Placing his hands on either side of her head, he boxed her in.

"Let me go." Serena's voice shook. She could feel herself breaking. This argument was going nowhere and she wanted to get off the merry-go-round. Hot tears began to fall down her cheeks; she was surprised that his hand came up lovingly, brushing them away.

"How does it make you feel when a woman is around me, attractive, and flirting with me?" Clear headed and in a calmer mood, he was now ready to convey what was on his heart.

"Is that a trick question?" Her blue eyes swam as she looked at everything but in his eyes. "It pisses me off." She answered with no emotion.

"What makes you think that I shouldn't feel the same way when a man comes your way?" It took a minute to get past the hurt and pain to understand what Darien was feeling. It went beyond anger or jealously.

"Because you're the woman, you think that you're the only one that can have emotions, while I stand here like a robot." He paused, letting his words sink in. "We're destined to live the rest of our lives together. We've seen our future; we know it. But should that knowledge make me feel any less insecure when I see some guy lusting after you?"

Serena looked down at her feet, too ashamed to face the man she loved. She truly was a ditz. How could she have been so clueless of his feelings. She understood now, though his method was…somewhat drastic, he made his point loud and clear.

Finally, after the third hour had past, the tension lifted.

"You think of me as Tuxedo Mask or King Endymion who are brave, valiant, and ultimately your protector. You've forgotten about that kid you met over a decade ago; scared and alone in the hospital. Who would have known that fated encounter would set everything in motion for us."

The more he talked, the more her heart melted. She practically purred in his hands caressed the back of her neck and cheek. His lips felt like silk on hers, taking her in and slowly sweeping her away.

"The reason why I use the red rose is not a symbol of our love, but a constant reminder of what I have and what I desperately hold on to each day."

The sorrow in his voice worried the princess "I'm sorry, Darien. I didn't know." She wrapped her arms around his neck to ease his discomfort. This was probably the first time she could remember him laying his emotions out in the open.

"I am so afraid of losing you, Serena." She could barely hear his whisper. He leaned in once more, this time for a more passionate kiss. His mouth moved expertly over hers, slipping his tongue in with ease. The kiss alone sent shivers through her soul; it didn't help that his hands were roaming over her body.

She wanted to speak, to give him confidence that she was his and his alone. Her words were stuck on the tip of her tongue which was currently preoccupied at the moment.

Within seconds, the buttons of her blouse were coming undone and her legs were being lifted; wrapping around his waist for a perfect fit. By the time she felt his fingers running through her hair, undoing her signature buns, she knew she was done for.

* * *

Love…or rather lust was certainly in the air especially for Amara and Manami. Skipping the small talk, the business of getting to know each other more, the two practically fell over trying to get into Manami's apartment.

Never before had Amara felt such an urgency to hold someone, to touch, to kiss, to taste someone. Her aggressive nature took over as she pinned the redhead against the closed door, assaulting her lips until they were almost bruised. Her partner encouraged her, moaning as she nibbled on her lip; racking her fingers over her body while grinding her hips against hers.

Manami was also feeling more heat than usual. She didn't know if it was the spell she had casted or if there was a true connection between them. Either way she was _not_ complaining. Her body hadn't felt as good as it did in a long time. She had made the decision that if she didn't take the racer now, she would explode.

Using her unnatural strength, she shoved the amazon back making her tumble onto the couch. Before Amara could recover, she pounced on top of her. She gave her a wicked grin, peeling off her damp shirt letting it pool at on the floor.

Seeing Manami's naked body, womanly slopes and curves in all the right places; molded and sculpted as if by God Himself, put everything into perspective...

...What the hell was she doing!?

Why was she about to make the biggest mistake of her life? She loved Michelle. Sure she got on her nerves from time to time but that was no reason to stray, even if it was for one night. This was truly out of her character. She had never cheated on Michelle, never had the thought crossed her mind and she wasn't going to start now.

Slowly, she inched up from her slouched position trying to find a means of escape. Unfortunately for her, Manami had sensed the change in her mood moments before Amara did herself.

Gracefully, the seductress palmed the blonde's face, making her look directly into her eyes. Amara was unaware that her once liquid gold eyes had turned lavender.

"Think only of me, Amara. Want only me. Love only me." Manami whispered the commands over and over until her partner's eyes matched the same hue, completing the spell.

Seconds later, Michelle disappeared from her thoughts and were replaced by the woman in front of her. Pleased that her mind was so easy to manipulate, her hands got busy removing the rest of other's clothes.

"Now, let's have some fun."

* * *

Wynter thought it would be best to walk home after such a meal. She had to literally convince the family that she would be alright walking home alone despite the twilight hour. It had been a long time since she had had a nice sit down dinner and she had mixed emotions about it.

She was happy that Rini had found a home, a safe haven for her to be herself. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous. While she lived in a competitive environment for five years, always looking over her shoulder, Rini was living a pretty decent life with basically their Mama and Papa.

But she was safe and that was important. No point in dwelling over something she couldn't change. Wynter made a turn; cutting though the local park was the quickest trail to her new apartment.

What she needed to be worried about was the new enemy that she and the others were facing. She hadn't gotten any more information that would be helpful as to who they were. Other than the Sisters, she had no clue who was the ring leader or her doubleganger.

There hadn't been any recent attacks, but that still didn't put their minds at ease. Her presence just made the enemy scurry into their hole, only to regroup for a more powerful attack. It only made her more determined to find out how to stop them and end their destruction before it was too late.

The teen fiddled with the keys in her pocket as she came upon the threshold; so preoccupied in her thoughts, she didn't sense the man leaning against the brick wall.

"Wynter." She turned cautiously, ready to fight the stranger; no one in this dimension knew of her existence. She let out a breath when her eyes instantly met crimson.

"Koji…what the heck are you doing here?"

* * *

Amara eased into the apartment that she shared with her partner; the soft click of the lock felt like an explosion in her ear as she damn near tip toed throughout the apartment.

She couldn't remember a thing. The last thing she remembered was Michelle. But she wound up next to the buxom redhead. Both naked, their limbs entangled with one another and the rumpled bed sheets. Thank God Manami didn't wake up as she tried to free herself. Or maybe she was awake and didn't care that she was leaving. Either way, Amara needed to get away.

The hot blast of water didn't wash away the layer of filth she felt sticking to her skin, the guilt that muddled her soul. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't change the past, though she would gladly give up her right hand if that were the price.

The blonde extended her arms, bracing herself against the wall and shower door to keep from crumbling to the ground. If Michelle knew, she would be crushed. She may even leave, which was unthinkable. It was always Amara and Michelle, Uranus and Neptune. They were a pair. She had never known a time when they were apart. But then again, neither one had did anything that would make the other stray.

So why had she?

She turned off the water that now ran cold. Her hands and feet felt heavy as she dressed and carried herself to bed. The form under the sheets shifted; let out a quiet sigh. Amara was sure she hadn't awakened; the last thing she wanted to do was explain why she was coming home at three in the morning. Finding her way blindly next to her, the thought of never telling of Michelle finding out the truth haunted her.

* * *

Wynter eyed the guest with wary as he looked around the tiny apartment. Of all the people to be the first to visit her from her time, Koji was the last person on her list. He gave no explanation as to why he was here as they made their way up the stairs to the fourth floor. She wasn't getting any bad vibes; she sensed that it was Koji; the same determined red eyes, the spiky black hair, the pale flesh, the attitude and demeanor, but something was off.

"So why are you hear again?" She had asked the same question for at least twenty times by now. She waited patiently as he turned to face her. She felt nothing when he gave off a aggorgant smirk.

"I came here to see you." He stated. Slowly he walked towards her, the sound of the hardwood floor creaked under his weight.

"But why?" Something was way off. Koji was not the type to throw out his feelings without a motive. He definitely wouldn't have claimed to have only come to see her, because that would mean…

"Are you really that naïve?" He chuckled. Yeah…Koji didn't chuckle, not in the five years that she'd known him. He only laughed if he was ready to chop your head off. She pivoted to the side when he reached for her. He frowned but remained in character.

"When you left the Academy, something….I don't know." He looked down at his feet in dismay. "I felt something I never felt before."

Wynter backed away further, there was no way this person in front of her was the real Koji. It was clear that she had now locked in with the enemy. She stopped shortly from bumping into a small table; her hand glided over the surface.

"You are not Koji." How could she have been so trusting? So foolish?! She was so wound up in her own thoughts that she didn't analyze the whole situation. All she saw was her crush from school and she was actually happy. She didn't think about why he truly doing on earth, in a 21st Century at that! There was no way that he would be there to help her because no one knew about the case but her and the Head Mistress.

She got herself into a world of trouble.

The other growled in frustration that the princess wasn't taking his advances. "You know, you can be so difficult at times, Princess." His eyes glowed siren red as he stalked towards her; strategically using his body to block her only exit. "Everything you want is right here. You could have just taken it."

"Is that what you are? Desire? If so, I don't want it!"

Wynter narrowed her eyes when his shoulders shifted; his body contorted and morphed. Black scales replaced the porcelain skin that began to melt off like hot wax onto the floor; skeletal bones sprouted from his body and hands into lethal weapons.

Quickly, she brought the object she grabbed from the table and blew into it; just as the monster leaped for her.


	17. and hearts to break

Chapter 17:... and hearts to break

Amora's fingers ran through her hair as she admired herself in the mirror. She hadn't felt this charged up in a long time. Never had she smiled as bright as she did now. It couldn't have been the sex; she's had good sex; amazing sex...epic sex. She looked over her shoulder at the bed, dressed with new sheets.

_Maybe it was her._ She thought, moistening her lips. A shudder of warmth washed over her, something that was all too familiar with her. She pushed that feeling aside; gazing back into the mirror, she fashioned the fiery curls into a high messy bun. She twisted and turned her head, fascinated by the red bites that traveled down her neck. Gently, as her fingernail grazed along the patterns, they vanished. But the memory of them; of her and the amazon beauty as they shared tender and fierce embraces remained. Again, the warm glow filled her, giving her even more energy.

Great…she was in love; and with a human no less.

… _Now what?_

As the thought grazed her mind, her reflection shimmered and was replaced with her sister's.

"Where are you? Tempest is looking for you." Vani stood examining her already immaculate manicure. She wore nothing more than a simple cotton purple dress; her dark hair brushed into soft waves. This sent a slight panic. Vani could never be described as _simple_.

"What's wrong?" Obviously, her sister didn't hear the slight anxiety in her voice because she continued to fiddle with her nails.

"Nothing, Tempest wants everyone to be…"

"No. I mean what's wrong with you." This time she looked over her shoulders, making sure no one was in earshot.

"I'm sick of being here, Amora." She spoke barely above a whisper. "We need to go home."

The redhead smiled softly. "We will V, as soon as the job is done."

"That's just it." She looked over her shoulder again. The mirror faded into grey water. Vani's slowly stepped through into Amora's bedroom; her portal formed back into a looking glass. "I don't think we'll make it out alive."

"What are you talking about?" She grabbed her hands. "Did you see something in your mirror?"

Vani shook her head softly. "No. It's just a feeling that I have. I really bad one." She shook her head again. "Everything feels different. Tempest is so fixated on revenge, she's just going along with was that bitch, Wynter, is telling her what the Master is planning to do next." She removed her hands from her sister's. Rubbing her arms as if she were cold. "You weren't there when I tapped in to one of their conversations. Tempest always leaves us out of the meetings she has with those two. So last night, I wanted to know what was going on."

Amora watched as shadows began to cast under her sister's eyes as she licked her dry lips; signs that she was nervous and worried.

"You should have seen her, Amora. You should have seen Tempest. It's like she's completely brainwashed. And Master…he doesn't care if we fail or not. It won't matter. The last part of his plan has come forth and he said within a few short days, it will be completed. It's like he's sending us on a suicide mission."

Amora drug her hands over her face. She moved around the room once, twice.

"Are you sure you heard correctly?" They didn't know the man, who dubbed himself as "Master" many years ago. They hadn't known him long but there wasn't any indication that he was a traitor.

"I don't know." Vani answered truthfully. "I could only use an ounce of my powers so that I wouldn't be detected." Tears swam in her violet eyes. "We were promised that this was a simple job and we would be paid, like always."

"The truth still stands." Amora assured her. "We just weren't expecting to face such…. formidable opponents."

"I will not die for someone's vindication of power, Amora. I don't care how much weight in gold we are worth. I won't." Her voice shook. "I know I'm vain, but my sisters' lives are more important than…"

"Ssshhh….ssshhhh…" Amora held on to her tightly, letting her sob into her chest. "We're not going to die." She said after a few minutes. "We've lived too long to let some little girls take us down." She pulled a Brie-move and pinched her cheeks, a gesture Vani couldn't stand but she allowed…just this one time.

"You promise?" She felt at ease when the other smiled before placing a kiss on the top of her forehead that was creased with worry lines.

"Let's go back before the others start to question our whereabouts."

* * *

Wynter screamed in pain as she thrown against the wall, again. She struggled to stay on her feet as the black….whatever you want to call it... moved around. Nothing seemed to slow it down. She tried cutting it down to size, lopping off its arms and legs. That did her no good as it grew more within seconds. She tried her own powers; she tried to physically drown and burn it. He was impervious to fire and he counteracted her water with his own fire. All she managed to do thus far was ensure that she wasn't getting her security deposit back.

Oh right, and the fact that an indestructible monster was trying to kill her was still on her plate.

She managed to dive out the way as its reptilian tail came crashing down, the first time. She wasn't expecting the second attack. Several of the bone like spikes shot out from the appendage embedding two in her thigh and side.

A flash of blinding pain surged through her entire being as she crashed to the floor. She struggled to moved, trying to remove the spike. White spots flashed before her eyes along with a huge amount of pain. Even feather-like touches were unbearable. She wasn't granted another attempt; claws gripped her throat, crushing her airway. Her hands made a feeble attempt to free herself. This was it for her; the last thing she would see would be those menacing red eyes.

A sudden release had her gasping for air. Her body was heavy, but she knew damn well she was still alive. She struggled to move at the sound of grunts and howls.

Vision blurred, she could only make out two black forms, both grappling for dominance. She couldn't tell who the new intruder was but she was praying that it was on her side.

A shriek flew through the air as the monster's spike was torn off his limb before being jabbed into his bowels, then his neck before his head was ripped from his shoulders. Wynter watched as the decapitated head was engulfed in an orange flame, melting it into black ooze. The monster's lifeless body fell with a loud thud.

If she could move, she would have. Anyone, or anything, that could kill without hesitation had no problem doing away with her. With such the massive about of blood loss, all she could do was shut her eyes as wait for her imminent demise.

"You're a mess." The sarcasm in his voice has her sighing in utter relief. She felt like crying.

_Koji. S_he thought happily. Never had she been so glad to hear the bastard's voice.

She screamed in agony when he removed the spike from her side. The warm blood pumped from the gaping wound, soaking her clothes and the floor. Without warning, Koji punctured his hand with his own claws. His own blood dripped from it as if he were squeezing an orange into the wound. Wynter couldn't tell if it was working or not, but she didn't feel cold anymore, so that must have been a good sign.

The teen let out another yell when the last spike was removed. She had no reason to protest when she felt the fabric of her jeans rip, exposing the second injury. Again he his blood seeped into the hole in her leg.

She felt better. The twinge of pain still lingered; though her vision was clearer, she could feel her strength returning. She became stiff when she felt his tongue on her neck. He roamed for a minute or two before releasing her; finally standing before her from his crouched position.

"Why….why did you do that?" She said, shocked and she'll be damned if she wasn't intrigued.

"Your neck had gashes from where that thing had grabbed you." His voice was hoarse as he smeared the blood from his hands onto his pants.

"Why didn't you use your blood?" She looked at him with curiosity in her eyes. She watched as he turned to walk back, couching back in front of her

"My saliva has the same healing properties as my blood. However, the blood works a lot slower and takes a lot more to work. I didn't want to use any more because it won't be good for you.

Her eyes widen in fear. "Will I turn into…" she gulped down her fear. "into one of your kind?" That would not be a good look. Heir to the Moon Kingdom throne would be a Celestial.

Koji glared at her. "Are you comparing me to a fictional creature now?" He nearly spat out the words in disgust.

"Well, I don't know how your kind creates….others like you." She definitely was trying her best not to offend her rescuer. He didn't answer her; instead he walked around the room, analyzing it thoroughly.

"What made you decide to let that thing in?" he questioned, kicking over the shards of a broken lamp. Splotches of black slime coated the floor.

She ignored him, moving to her feet.

"Why did you let him in!" He snapped out.

"Because…because he looked like you." She shook her head; they had learned in class that appearances met nothing. "He embodied you." She corrected. "He…It had the same energy. It was the same as mine…"

"What do you mean?"

"There's another one. It…she's me. I don't know how, but she's everything that I am but…"

"...less strong." He finished her sentence. His body vibrated with anger; kicking the small night table clear across the room. The wood exploded on impact.

Wynter didn't know what to say next. She wanted to tell Koji to stop destroying the already destroyed apartment; punching holes in the walls, crumbling the kitchen counter to rubble, tearing apart the furniture in half. She wanted to tell him to stop, but…that wasn't the best idea. Once Koji was in one of his tantrums, only three she had witnessed firsthand, it was best to leave it for him to calm down himself.

If she hadn't put up a barrier spell to protect the people around her while the battle was underway, she would be certain that all of her neighbors would have called the police from the ruckus that was caused.

"Let's go." He made a grab for her; sneered when she recoiled. "Problem?"

"Yes!" _What did he mean, 'Let's go'?_ "Go where?"

The young prince rolled his eyes. "Do you honestly think that was it? That's the only one out there?" He huffed in frustration when she refused to move from her spot. In one move he gripped her with so much strengthen, Wynter welped.

"What the heck!?" she tried to tug away from him as he literally drugged her to the balcony window. Wynter's face turned beet red when he didn't let her go. How dare he manhandle her this way?

"Let me go right now!" at her command, Koji dropped her arm and turned on her in such a fast motion, it startled her.

"Don't you dare take that higher-than-thou tone with me, _Princess._" He growled, baring his canines. "Did you or did you not call me? Do you or do you not need my help?!"

"Yes! But that doesn't mean you can throw me around like some rag doll! You could at least explain to me what's going on!"

"There's no time for that."

"Well at least let me change my clothes." She moved towards her room. "There's no way I'm leaving with tattered clothes hanging off my body."

He was frustrated to the point where he was ready to smack her. Instead he shoved his hands into his pockets. He wanted to kick the same door she had just slammed in anger.

She obviously didn't understand the sheer panic that ran through his body when he heard the high pitch of his whistle. He had just finished a meeting with of the neighboring clans to become allies. No sooner did he go to shake the King's hand when the pitch went off. He damn near knocked over the one of the ambassadors to leave. No doubt his father would have his head for such disrespect, but at the time he didn't care.

As soon as he broke through this world's atmosphere, he sense the ominous presence that he thought was long forgotten.

How long had it been? Nearly a century? Was he here for that long? And what was he planning to do?

"Now I'm ready." Wynter said smugly, dressed in new jeans and a black jacket.

"Took you long enough." He took her hand, practically dragging her to the balcony door.

"Wait!" The princess screeched when he hoisted her in his arms. "What are you doing?!" Koji held back a cocky smirk at the sheer terror on the teen's face. Instead he leaped on the black rails of the balcony and adjusted his grip on the damsel.

"We're going on a ride and this is the fastest way." Wynter's eyes widen at the sight of Koji's large dark wings sprouted; flexing once…twice.

"Wait…" he didn't conceal his amusement when she was shaking, her voice crack. "Let's….I mean…" she gulped, gripped his neck tighter. "…can't we reconsider this?"

"What's the matter, Princess? Afraid of heights?"

"NO!" she said quickly and defensively. She was scared out of her wits, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Good." Was his last words before he leaped from the edge with godly strengthen. He held in his laugh when Wytner screamed bloody murder.

* * *

Serena sat on the edge of the bed, on the verge of tears. She gripped the sheet around her naked body tighter; her mind desperately tried to wrap around what conspired between her, the man she loved, and where it went downhill.

At first they were fine…_she_ was fine. She had felt guilty, especially seeing just how vulnerable he was. She had agreed to his request, at first. They had played around before, each time getting one step closer to finally joining together.

But this time, she felt different; once they began their normal ritual. Kissing, touching, pulling, and tugging at each other, trying to get the other hot and wanting more. Everything felt different, felt wrong. She couldn't put it into words; she just knew she wanted it to stop.

"So, I guess that's your answer, huh?" She heard Darien speak from the other end of the bed. She didn't respond because she was unsure of what he was referring to.

"It's apparent that you still have feelings for him. I…"

"Shut up." Serena had enough of his nonsense. "Are you kidding me?!" She refused to face him, keeping her back to his as she stared angrily at the dark wall. "Because I won't have sex with you, that's proof that I don't love you."

"You never objected before."

"Because it was genuine! Before, we both wanted to! This…this is just a desperate attempt to make yourself feel better."

"You need to leave." His finality tone in his words cut through her like a hot blade. She swallowed down the lump of emotions, forcing herself not to cry.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't want you here!"

"I don't care!" The two turned around to face the other simultaneously. "You're pressuring me; something that you said you'd never do. Now all of a sudden it's a national emergency for us to have sex. Why?" She cover his mouth when he was about to speak.

"You're only doing this because you feel threatened. I understand that. But I'm not about to give you a part of me that's meant to be special, between us. I'm not about to give you my virginity so you can feel like you have one up on Seiya. I'll give it to you when I feel you're worthy of it. And if you can't understand that, then you're not the man I love." Turning away, she began to dress.

"But I'll give you want you want and I'll leave." Tugging on the last articles of clothing, she walked out, not wanting to see his face further.

Darien stood motionless, as if in a trance. A shadow shimmered behind him; bright eyes glowing red.

_She rejected you…she doesn't love you_… It whispered in the back of his mind. Slowly, it absorbed him, encasing Darien in black armor._ Eliminate her._ Now under the power of the demon heart, Darien moved to carry out the command


	18. I do, but I don't

Chapter 18: I do…but I don't

Wynter was internally praising the heavens when her feet finally touched solid ground. She prided herself for not only standing her ground but from not pissing her pants as they flown through the night air. The flight seemed like an eternity instead of barely ninety seconds. The princess looked around, not really familiar with the neighborhood or the apartment complex.

"Why did you stop here?" she was confused. There was nothing out of the ordinary as far as she could tell.

"Because the same energy that was in your apartment… is there." Koji pointed to one of the upper row of windows.

"Ok…but how do we…" Her screams were muffled by his large hand as he hoisted them fifteen stories. The departure was rough on her but she landed softly on her feet. She pushed back out of frustration once they were still.

"Damn you!" she hollered, forgetting that there were neighbors all around. Koji ignored her, peering inside the glass door of the balcony. He couldn't see anything. The bedroom was dark, but a dim light glowed from under the crack of the door.

Not bothering with the locked glass door, he placed the palm of his hand on the window. The screech of his claws glazed across it in one swift motion. Once he removed his hand, an oval piece of glass was suctioned to his skin,

"I forgot you're a professional at breaking and entering." Wynter scoffed as she watched the prince unlock the balcony door from the inside.

"Would you have rather I scatter the glass entirely and have someone notice us?" He didn't wait for her reply. He walked carefully through the bedroom. All the while, his stomach turned from the overly sweet smell that emitted from behind the door. He forced himself not to cover his nose with his hand.

"It smells so good." Red eyes rolled at his companion's coos. Opening the door, they were welcomed with a wall of boxes stacked upon boxes; so many that it was impossible to proceed further. Out of frustration, Koji shot out his foot, causing the wall to crumble to the ground. An assortment of cookies, pies, brownies, and cakes were now in a gooey pile in the hallway.

"Aw! What a waste!" The girl whimpered, practically drooling over the destroyed pastries. Again, the dark prince moved first; the sweet smell of deserts were making him sick and he wanted to leave quickly. The trail of boxes seemed to stretch on for miles, but there was an endpoint; the kitchen where a brunette wearing a white apron, vigorously mixed whatever concoction was in the metal bowl.

"Lita?" Wynter called out. The woman didn't respond.

"Lita." She tried louder, this time touching her.

"There's nothing you can do." Koji interjected.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's under a spell. She's not going to answer you. And stop touching her." He looked around, concentrating on the source. The same presence that was in Wynter's apartment was here; he just had to find out where.

"So I just leave her to mix until her arms break?"

"If you break her out of the trance before I find the parasite, you could _break_ her soul."

Hit with that information, Wynter backed away, watching Lita move around her as if she was a ghost. Pouring the cake batter in the pan, she put it in the oven only to remove two more golden brown ones. She didn't speak as she started her next project. She didn't acknowledge her presence.

This wasn't Lita. Her face didn't glow with the joy she had when she baked. Her brown eyes didn't sparkle. Moving around Lita's kitchen was nothing more than a shell.

"Stop worrying. I think I've found the source." Koji moved in front of the oven. He couldn't tell if it was the heat of the oven or the smell of the sweets that were dulling the energy of the parasite, but he was almost positive that the appliance was the source.

However, _almost_ could get the human killed. If he was wrong, the parasite would be aware of the danger flee; taking Lita's soul with it.

* * *

The dark figure ground his teeth in aggravation. One by one, he could feel his parasites dying. He wasn't expecting their demise so soon, forcing his plan forward before it was time. His patience was drawing thin with the Sisters and the doubleganger. He had planned on them taking care of the Sailor Scouts; the protectors of the small planet. Even that had posed _too hard_ for them. Now _he_ had showed up and it would only be a matter of time before he sensed his presence and come looking for him.

Heavy fist pounded on stone throne. He had trained, planned, and worked for nearly a century to take back what was rightfully his by birthright. He'd be damned if he failed just because a couple of women couldn't do the job he set in place.

"Tempest! Wynter!" His voice boomed causing the walls to vibrate. Both women appeared, kneeling at the threshold.

"Yes, Master?" They said in unison.

"What is taking you so long?!" Both of them kept in place. Not sure as to where to start. Yes, they were failing miserably. But his plan was almost complete; they didn't understand why he was angry.

"Master..." Tempest spoke. One thing she could relate to was anger, so she wasn't as afraid as Wynter. "...everything is going according to plan."

"Oh…really?" he proceed to walk towards them. "And how do you figure that?"

"Amora's spell has affected the Scouts. They are completely out of the way. As for the rest, we are waiting on your command."

"Is that right? Everything is set and you all are _waiting..._ for me. Is that what you're saying?"

"Yes, my sisters and I are ready."

He stood a foot taller than sorceress. He would have admired her bold stance, her pride and confidence that she had for her and her sisters efforts.

He would if he wasn't **pissed off**.

"You fool!" Tempest was too slow to avoid the back hand. She crashed to the ground by the strong blow to the face. "_Everything_ is going according to plan, you say?! Then why are my parasites dead?! Why is it that the one person I didn't want around is now here?!"

"We…we didn't know." Wynter trembled. She could feel his dark energy pour from him. She didn't know what to do or say that would calm him.

"You stupid whores!" It was Wynter's turn to be abused. His steel-toed boot shot out, catching the warrior in her ribs. She screamed out in pain as she skidded across the room. "You're doing nothing that I told you to do! I told you to get rid of them! If you didn't know what that meant, it means to kill them! All of them!"

Rage consuming him, he tried desperately to calm down before his location was found out.

"It's too late now to get angry about your failures now." He moved around the wounded women, walking back to his seat. "Tempest, I want you and your sisters to carry out the final stages of the plan. Wynter, I want you to draw them out of hiding."

There was nothing but silence when the two left to do his bidding. It wouldn't be long now. No matter what transpired from this point on.

He _would _be the last standing.

* * *

Wynter was growing weary, but she couldn't explain why. Her wounds were entirely healed, but something was off; as if her spirit was being weighed down. She just couldn't wrap her mind around it.

The…parasite…as Koji loosely called it, released Lita's soul. The black ooze that leaked from the appliance was identical to the one in her apartment. However, Lita woke up in confusion, unable to remember what had happened. Koji gave her no time to console the baker, warning her that this was time sensitive. Once the sun rose and if the parasites were still attached, then their souls will be lost forever. And on top of it, this wasn't the work of the Sisters.

That little tidbit was told over an hour ago.

"You know who's behind this, don't you." Wynter asked once they left Amy's home.

Koji didn't answer immediately. He wasn't completely sure if he should tell her or not.

"Koji?"

"We're here." He easily avoided the question. Descending, he placed her on a set of stone steps.

"This is Raye's home." She stated, walking past the two pillars of the sacred shrine. It seemed eerie; though on a warm night, at least the rhythmic chirps of crickets would have been heard. But there was absolute silence.

She looked around; _what could Raye be so passionate about that she would be hoarded in the temple?_

The couple moved quietly and cautiously. Not sure if the enemy was watching them as they proceeded to put major holes in their plans.

Wynter's mind was buzzing with questions: Who was behind all the parasites? Why was Koji keeping secrets from her? Would they be able to defeat them? More and more questions started to build, all of which she wanted to ask the prince, but knew it would only anger him.

And because of the secrecy, Wynter couldn't trust him wholeheartedly. Even after he had proven time and time again that he was on her side, there was still a small sliver of uncertainty.

She was instantly disgusted with herself.

Here Koji was helping her save her family and the small voice in the back of her mind kept whispering: _Don't trust him, he's a Celestial. He could turn on you at any moment_.

"I wish you'd get out of your head for a moment and listen." His voice laced with irritation jolted her back to the mission at hand.

Wynter's ears perked up to the sounds of cries that echoed off the walls. She wasn't sure if the sounds were coming from Raye or another occupant.

The princess quickened her pace when the cries turned into moans from two distinctive voices.

_Are they unconscious? Are they hurt and moaning in pain? Has the host of the parasites taken their souls?_

Her heart pounded in her chest in panic by the time she reached the back room.

Wynter pushed open the sliding door. The gears in her mind grounded to a screeching halt with the imagines that flooded her vision.

Her face instantly burned as she tried to look away but it was like staring at a train accident. She couldn't help herself. So she reacted the best way she knew how…

...she screamed.

Or would have if Koji hadn't reached from behind her, covering her gaping mouth with his hand as both watched Chad and Raye engaged in sexual pleasures.

Wynter was confused, slightly intimidated, and all the way embarrassed. The moans and cries she thought were from pain were actually from passion made her heart pound even harder.

Koji could feel the heat rising from her face, he was for certain his flesh would singe if he held on longer. He heard the girl mumble into his palms. Somewhere along the lines of _'Oh my goodness!' 'This can't be happening!' 'Oh my…'_ before she finally covered her eyes.

Koji felt that this was a good time to leave the princess's side and crossed over to the couple who were obviously too preoccupied with mating to noticed them.

Beyond the coos and moans of ecstasy; the heat of sex and sweaty bodies melding into one, laid the parasite that was sucking the life out of both of them. The prince deduced that Raye's passion was within the arms of the man she was currently under. Koji needed to act quickly; though he couldn't pinpoint exactly when the two's lust peaked; he could sense that both were being drained, more rapidly than the others. There were pass the point of exhaustion, and yet they kept going.

They would die within minutes if he didn't do something.

Finally over her embarrassment, Wytner took several deep breathes before peaking behind her fingers. The first thing she saw was Koji standing over the engaged couple; puzzled as to why he was so closed to them, watching them. Removing her hands entirely she saw Koji's glowing claws, elongated as they were before he destroyed the parasite…..along with the host.

Before she could call out, Koji's talons had already sunk into Chad's flesh like syringes, glowing brighter with each beating second. Her body reacted before her mind could fully processes what was happening.

He was going to kill Chad. He was going to take a life so carelessly, without even a moment to think about his actions.

Drawn in an intense concentration, Koji wasn't aware that Wynter was charging at him at full force. Not until her body collided with his, knocking him hard against the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Koji shoved Wynter off his body. He rubbed the spot where he hit his head on the floor.

If looks could kill, she would have been tortured for hours begging to be put out of her misery before bursting into flames.

"We have to find another way to save him." The teen's anger fell into the confusion category. He would have killed her for breaking his focus; pissed off that several of his nails were broken; fragile in their needle-like state, they snapped like thin icicles against the male's skin from their beds. He folded his legs under him, quickly nursing his wounded hand, all the while watching in amusement as the princess tried her best to pry the two lovers away. He forced himself not to chuckle when she squealed multiple times when one or the other made a grab for her, trying to pull her into their orgy.

"What do you think you're doing?" He made the effort to mask his laughter.

"Trying to see if I can break them apart even for a minute."

"Didn't I already tell you that if we disrupt them the parasite will destroy its host?"

She looked up at him. "But I'd rather try than just kill him out right!"

"Who said anything about killing him!?" Their eyes clashed before they were cut off Raye's naked body as she rode Chad.

Koji cursed. "Do you know how long I had to wait for him to get on top of her in a steady position?! Now who knows how long it'll be before they rotate."

He scrubbed his face in frustration. He couldn't leave them there. He didn't know how long they had been at it. But by the powerful surge coming from the male human, it wouldn't be long before the parasite drained his life and the girl's.

"Why don't you get away from them before something splashes on you." He laughed this time when her face turned a deep red. "I forgot you're a virgin."

"And proud of it!" She scurried over to where he was on the other side of the room. She turned her back to the couple whereas Koji faced them head on.

"At least I'm not a man-whore who can sit there and watch them as if it were a movie."

"Hn…and proud of it." He echoed making Wynter roll her eyes in disgust which he caught immediately.

"You know, I'm sick of you putting me in this categorical box. Just because I'm a Celestial that doesn't give _you_ the authority to judge me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You undermine me and think of the worst because I'm a demon."

"It's _because _you're a demon, I think the worst."

"See!? That's what I'm talking about!" He turned away from her, scratching his head in irritation.

Why did he care that she was judging him? Why did her opinion of him matter?

"What did I do that started this awkward conversation?"

"What _didn't_ you do?" He stopped momentarily when the couple changed positions. He narrowed his eyes, pissed that they had ended on their sides.

_Why doesn't the male just mount her and get on with it!_

"_Hello_?"

"You thought I wouldn't be able to handle myself when I tasted your blood."

"You drank it."

"Yes, to heal you! Unless you wanted to die!"

"That's because I know what blood does to you."

"You _think_ you know what blood does to_ Celestials_, not me."

"Ok, so that's just one example…"

"You thought I would cop out when I found out that the person behind this might very well be a part of my family…was once a part of it."

"But…"

"Mind you that I already knew once I hit this atmosphere."

"Alright…"

"And you jump to conclusions and thought I was going to kill your simple friend here."

"Well you had to destroy every host. Lita's oven, Trista's sewing machine, Amy's computer. What makes this time any different?"

"Those were _objects_, not living beings! I know how to extract the parasite in another matter! I'm not a cold and heartless bastard that you perceive me to be."

If he wanted her to like crap, mission accomplished.

He didn't give Wynter a chance to speak her side. He shot up when Chad finally took the position on top.

"Koji…" She hissed in pain, her system rocked to where she almost doubled over.

"What's wrong?"

Her head was pounding, her body was burning; this kind of pain was new to her. Her hands held her head. She felt like crying; the pain was devastating. Her breathing became labored as she tried her best to push through the pain.

"The Earth is crying out to me." But it didn't make sense. There was too much devastation happening for the planet to start calling her now. "I have to go."

"Wait…why?" Once again, he lost his concentration to pay mind to the girl. Her face contorted in discomfort. He made it back to her side, placing his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

"I think... it's Father. I think he's in trouble." She broke away from his hold, trying to stand on her own.

"Wait, I'll go…"

"Finish with them and then follow me." She commanded.

"You're still not fully healed."

"I'll be fine. Just hurry."

"Fine, but if you get yourself killed…" He stopped when he saw the desperation on her face.

"Shit…just go. I'll be right behind you."

"Right." She nodded and fled, hoping that she would make it in time.

"How the hell did I get into this mess?" Koji asked himself, sinking his nails into Chad's shoulder blades.

* * *

The princess barely made it to the apartment complex; her body was heavy with fatigue. Koji's warning rang in her ear as she climbed up the stairs; she wasn't completely healed but she couldn't stop. Her internal system was still singing a song, she had to push pass her fear that the worst had happening to her parents.

Following the energy flow from above did she find the correct floor where the couple resided; Wynter's screams lodged in her throat; Serena lying motionless in the hallway surrounded by the blood soaked carpet. The dark figure responsible loomed over the blonde then turned its attention to the new intruder.

Wynter lost control; her emotions swarmed around her like a heat wave. The demon growled at the threatening force emitting from the girl. Bracing herself, she didn't feel her power flow with such velocity. The monster didn't stand a chance against the vicious current of lightening.

The beast howled as it was thrown back to the end of the hallway. It didn't faze her when it spouted wings that expanded the width of the hall; scrapping the doorways and walls. She ran forward, throwing currents of lightening after walls of hurricane like winds. She was oblivious to her surroundings. All she saw was the monster that hurt her mother and that was enough to sent her into a blinding rage. She didn't feel her wounds opening up from the previous and current battle, didn't feel the pain as she was slammed to the floor and walls; the blood draining from her body.

She didn't know how long she had been fighting; she was becoming slower than her opponent. Her body was going numb, her vision was beginning to blur that she didn't see the powerful wing coming from her blind side, knocking her back. She skidded hard; like a rock over water, her limp body skipped twice before landing next to Serena.

Severely wounded as it limbed and bled, the dark monster stalked over to finish what it started. Wynter struggled to regain her strength and stand to fight. She wasn't a quitter. Even when it looked like the end for them, she wasn't going to give up. Her enemy was badly injured. As long as she could keep it up until Koji came, everything would be alright.

Her plan when down the drain when black slugs came from out of nowhere; it didn't take her long to realize that they were the same parasites that were extracted hours ago. Fear crept up into the bowels of her stomach when they latched on and sunk into its flesh. Blood stopped oozing and pooling on the floor; broken bones that were protruding out of its skin were reverting back to their original form. Now rejuvenated, the monster was on top of her before she could stop it.

Wynter couldn't stop the iron-like foot from slamming into her gut, sending her into the ceiling before coming crashing down. She screamed in agonizing pain; knowing for sure that she was paralyzed because she couldn't feel anything below her waist. She black out moments before Koji swooped came through like a battering ram, throwing the figure far away from the lifeless bodies.

Fangs and claws extracted, the prince engaged into hand-to-hand combat. He took all he could to control his emotions; it was bad enough that his nerves were on edge once she left without him, which in turn took him longer to remove the parasite from the boy than it should have. Once he had, the couple collapsed in a daze from exhaustion. It took him only minutes to find the last location. He didn't like the energy that was flowing from the high-rise complex; sensing the same energy, but with more intensity, it confirmed his suspicions. His system rocked to the core when he heard Wynter's screams from the street. He hated to admit that he panicked, thinking the worst had happened.

Time slowed down when he saw the blonde on the floor faced down in her own blood and the dark form stepping on Wynter's head in an attempt to crush it under its foot. Before he could stop his own natural form, he was on top of the other tearing at it with his teeth and claws.

His natural primal instincts were getting the better of him for the duration of the battle. He knew that the parasites had encased another human and was now controlling his every movement, he fought the impulse of wanting to destroy it. It took the figure to be bowing at his feet on the verge of death for Koji to regain control once again.

Breathing heavily, he sunk his nails into its temples. Concentrating beyond the howling screams of the demon, Koji pulled. It took only seconds, he knew it was torture for both the parasite and the host as he literally ripped apart the flesh. Now in his hands was nothing more than a shell of the human host as Darien's naked body fell to the floor.

Koji didn't give the demon parasite to dissolve again. Instantly his hands burst into green flames; the piercing screams didn't faze him nor did the burning smell of putrid acid and death.

Dusting his hands of the last remaining bits of black caked on. He looked on to still see everything as it was, even though the heart of the demon was destroyed.

He groaned.

Time hadn't restarted.


	19. Digging up the past

Chapter 19: Digging up the past

The tall, regal woman walked down the same hallway she always did since she could remember. Nodded and spoke to the same people as they passed by her, showing their respect. It seemed like any other day, but for some reason she knew that something was going on elsewhere; something that would soon affect her kingdom and her clan's wellbeing if it wasn't taken care of immediately.

She didn't bother to knock on the door of the bedroom as she let herself in. In the same lavish room, that needed a little more color and decoration in her opinion, sat another tall woman reading her favorite book on the floor in the middle of the room.

"You could have knocked." She said, never looking up from her book.

"Where's Koji?"

"No idea. Probably off to see one of his women." There was silence between them as the older one made her way to one of the chairs.

"I doubt that; he left in a hurry and with such urgency on his face. I'm sure it's something more."

The younger one scratched her red crop of hair while closing her book; she figured with all the worry riddled in her sister's voice, she wasn't going to get much reading done.

"What's wrong, Miyu?"

"I had a session with Father just minutes ago. He fears that…" the beauty sighed. She covered her face, trying to mask her anxiety.

"Well, there was never any confirmation that he was dead." Cree finished her older sister's thought. She waited until she gathered her composure again. Fingering thick black curls away from her face, she let her nerves and stress dissolve.

"He'll come back for revenge."

"He won't be the first."

"He'll be stronger than before and he'll have followers."

"So we'll prepare for a battle. It's not like we haven't done it before."

"Koji probably knows of his location."

"Most likely."

Miyu looked at the other in dismay. "How can you be so calm about this?" Cree smiled for the first time and shrugged.

"Because there is no need to panic over something that is already done; we just have to look forward and find a way to stop it before it gets out of hand." Getting up from her position on the floor, Cree made her way over to her sister's side. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Everything shall be fine. If Koji cannot do it on his own, I'm sure he would have called for one of us."

Miyu rolled her eyes. "You know as well as I do that Koji is too egotistical to ask for…" she thought was cut off by the thundering pounding in her heart.

"You got a call." Cree could tell by her startled expression that Koji used her whistle. She nodded, but Cree knew that her mind was going a mile a minute.

"Ok, Miyu. Pull it together. Koji called you, not me which means he's hurt badly. Go and get your bag and I will follow you."

* * *

"For the last time, get your hands off me!" Koji jerked away from Lita and Amara's hold. "The hell is wrong with you!?"

"Well let's look at the facts!" Raye hollered. "Once we're out of a spell. The only thing anyone can remember is you and Wynter. We get here and find our friends nearly dead!"

"And you think I did this?! You're even dumber than you look!"

"Watch it…"

"Listen! I'm not going to sit here and be ganged up on, so everyone shut the fuck up!" This wasn't his world, _these _weren't his people, _this _wasn't his problem, but he was here…helping. And what did it get him? Getting chastised by a bunch of women thrown into hysteria because three of their closest friends were barely alive and dying very slowly.

He was sick of the yelling, he was getting a headache, and if he didn't give two flying fucks about the girl clinging on to life, he would have left a long time ago!

"You all know what's going on because I've repeated it eight times already! I'm not the bad guy! Why can't you get that through your heads?"

Everyone was angry, anxious, but none said a word. They didn't know what or who to believe. The demon boy claimed that he had destroyed the demon heart but time hadn't reversed like it had weeks before. The only factor that changed was Koji was now present, so he had to be the cause…right?

If not, then who?

The Scouts needed to know because their fear that three-fourths of the royal family was about to be non-existent was becoming reality.

Right now they needed a miracle.

The sound of the balcony door sliding open alerted them into attack mode when they saw two unknown women appear in the doorway. The first of the two was tall, reaching the height of Amara, and slender. Out of her normal royal attire and in a simple black dress, she dropped the silver bag that she clutched and ran to her brother's side.

"I'm fine." Koji moved away from her embrace. "It's those three that need your help." Miyu turned to the three humans knocking on death's door. "The dark-haired girl has a possible broken spine and…and I don't know how long the others have been like this. The man was infected by a parasite so he has some pretty bad internal damages and…" Koji's nervous rambling was hushed by his sister's finger.

"Calm down. I'll handle everything." She said in a quiet tone.

"She's the one to talk about calming down." The redhead sat next to her brother on the floor as their older sister began to work to save lives.

"So why don't you tell us what happened." Cree gestured. Koji said nothing as he inspected Miyu's work. She moved swiftly and with purpose; fashioning her hair in a bun so that it wouldn't get in the way, she began placing vales of liquids and powders in front of her. Pouring out the contents in a container, she began her concoction.

"You." Miyu stopped mixing and pointed at Amy. "I need hot water." It took Amy only a millisecond to register the command before springing into action.

"Wynter summoned me. When I got here, she was being attacked by a replica of me. I killed it and the thing dissolved into the floor." He jutted his thumb towards the girls. "They were all being possessed by the same parasite. Killed them all. Came back here and found them damn near dead."

_Well…that gave me a lot of information._ Cree thought sarcastically. He had probably repeated the same story about eight times already, considering the scrutinizing stares they were receiving by the humans. She could tell that they were wary of them but wouldn't speak up because of their fear; whether it was because of them personally or because Miyu may stop healing their friends. It didn't matter to Cree one way or the other, but she could tell that Koji was also in a panic state which concerned.

Koji had always exuded a calm exterior, from the time he was a little. He never let anyone know what he was feeling, no matter the circumstances. Cree could see the sweat pebbling around his forehead, neck, and arms. His flawless pale skin was now slightly grey and cold. His red eyes, glazed with exhaustion and worry, were fixated on the blue haired woman and their sister as they worked on the group.

"What was the focus of the parasite?" Koji was studying his sister as she began undressing each of them, exposing open wounds. Carefully she smeared a green paste over each one then covering them with white bandages.

"Passion, lust, love, greed maybe; whatever you want to call it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because those two could feed and clothe ten villages with the amount of pastries and clothes they made in such a short time. This one was developing the cure for every disease imaginable, and that one was riding her man like her life depended on it."

"What!?" Raye shrieked at his last comment. Her face flushed a deep red, either from anger or embarrassment.

"Nice tits by the way." Koji said dryly.

"You goddamn pervert! I'll kill you!" The girls held back the fuming raven. They were all having a hard time finding reason why they shouldn't let the guy have it.

"You always have to start with someone." Cree shook her head as Koji shrugged. He watched Miyu hold each of her patients' heads, allowing the foul smelling mixture to flow smoothly down into their system.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Miyu began to make another healing batch.

"How are they?" Amy came forward, inspecting her work but wouldn't dare touch them.

"They are fighters. They have a strong will to live."

"So they'll be alright?"

"Yes." Her answer eased the heavy tension in the room. Both Cree and Koji witnessed as a few of them began to shed tears and rolled their crimson eyes in unison.

Koji huffed in frustration; relieved that they were out of one danger, but he was about to deliver some bad news.

"It's Shiguire." The name left a ball of ice in the pit in the sisters' stomachs. "He's behind all of this."

The two didn't comment; they had already sense his presence. They questioned his motives as to what he was doing on Earth in the 21st Century and what was he planning to do?

"Who's Shiguire?" Amara was the first to ask the question that was on everyone's minds.

"Our brother." Koji said after a long pause. "But before you start yelling…" he added quickly when he felt the tension in the room growing thick. "…let me explain."

He waited a beat, noting that the women, though ready to strangle him, they waited for him to speak before they beat the hell out of him.

"Shiguire hasn't been a part of our clan for nearly a century. He was banished; we haven't heard or been in contact with him. We didn't even know if he was alive until now." Koji stopped; looking on at his older sister who was still working on the trio. It worried him; it never took Miyu this long to heal anyone even with the most severe injuries. His fears that his brother had grown stronger than the last time they fought was starting to become reality.

"Shiguire was the first born." Cree continued; she could tell that Koji was too preoccupied worrying about the human girl to finishing explains their screwed up family history. "Therefore, he was heir to the throne and to rule our clan. Despite what you may think of us, we're not monsters."

"Yeah, because having red eyes, claws, and fangs are so convincing." Raye growled the snide comment.

"I'm sure you know that appearances are not always what they seem." Miyu spoke absently from behind them. She was more focused on stitching gaping wounds then prejudice words.

"Very true." Cree agreed with her older sister. "Yes, we are a fierce clan. We are tremendous warriors and when we come for you, it is best that you are prepared to lose everything because we come to win. But…we do not seek war and that is a fact that no one actually understands."

"Shiguire _didn't _understand that." Koji opened and closed his fists, remembering past events that he had buried deep. "He believed that ruling meant declaring war to all clans, good or evil, and make then surrender to us. He took unnecessary steps, putting our people in danger; killing anyone who challenged him."

"He was a tyrant?" The siblings nodded at Trista's question.

"So why didn't anyone stop him?"

"Because, Lita, anyone that opposed him would have been killed. We are blessed that the people we serve and protect are decent rulers." Trista held back her tears as she thought of Rini. What would she have done if her family died? What would _they_ have done if this…woman wasn't around to help them?

"We were at war for decades. When Shiguire became king, our once peaceful lands had turned into a warzone." Cree ran her fingers through her already messy hair. She remembered her brother being driven by bloodlust. It was never safe for any of them. She couldn't count the number of assassins that tried to kill Shiguire, to end the countless wars he declared. The times she and her siblings were kidnapped and their lives threatened. Any and all attempts to try and stop his reign, people did.

"So…what made you decide to stop him?" Mina's question shot pain through their hearts. Memories flooded so vividly, it was as if the ultimate event that changed everyone's lives happened just minutes ago.

Miyu was grateful that she was finished with her patients as her hands began to shake. Amy studied the woman; her calm and confident demeanor had now transformed to timid and feeble.

Everyone in the room was confused by what was transpiring between the Celestial family, but for some reason they felt sympathy for them. Miyu had made a small apology removing herself from in front of the others. Cree made her way to her, rubbing her back to comfort her. Unspoken words between them made it hard to tell who was consoling who.

Then the realization dawned upon Koji.

"That asshole." He cursed. "He _would_ choose this moment to reveal himself. The timing is too perfect." He kept his feeling in check, though he wanted to punch something, or someone for that matter.

"Mind filling us in." Amara looked between the woman and the teen that continued to sit on the floor, digging his claws into the rug.

"This week marks the anniversary of our mother's death and the reason why I decided to stop him."

"I…I don't understand."

"Our mother was kidnapped." Miyu said between sniffles. She gave a watery smile to Amy who offered her a tissue. "Rogue bandits took her. They were tired of the fighting. They had lost everything because of it and were out of options. All they demanded was that Shiguire cease the wars, to allow us to live in peace. He….he wouldn't listen; wouldn't give in. He said it was a sign of weakness to surrender."

"They killed her." Amara connected the dots and felt sorry for them.

"I almost lost my life but I challenged and defeated him. It took almost a century to rebuild what he had ruined." He gripped the pieces of rug, feeling it disintegrate in hands didn't help him ease his pain.

"Shiguire is picking up where he left off: Conquering all worlds and become a supreme ruler once again."

* * *

Shiguire stood alone in his chambers, staring out over the quiet city. The spell he had made the lustful witch cast was still in full effect; all he needed was one more and his plan would be complete.

He had waited a long time for this moment; to regain what was taken from him, what was rightfully his. It took some time to get over his anger; he had been defeated by his younger brother and banished from his kingdom. He cursed them, all of them, for making him weak.

His anger had molded into revenge, cold and calculating revenge. Scouring over the lands, jumping through dimensions and universes, he had dedicated his time to training to become stronger. But each time he thought he was at his peak, at his strongest…something, or rather someone, always got in his way.

Sailor moon, Neo Queen Serenity, Princess Serenity; no matter what name she went by, she was always there to twart his plans. No matter if he were in the 23rd Century or the 48th, she and her group of scum bitches were there to stop him.

This time seemed to play the same as any other time, however he had done his research. The 21st Century was the time when Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts were at their weakest. Though formidable opponents, their powers were still at the lowest point compared to the future. If he got rid of them now, he would have no problems bending the citizens of Earth to his will, and soon he would return to his home, to enact his revenge.

Fate seemed to be turning in his favor; he wasn't expecting Koji to arrive, not here, not now. But he supposed it was best to kill two birds with one stone. Well…more like 4 birds. Once the witches and 'Wynter' did what they were told, everything would fall into place and he would be the last one standing when the dust settled.

The _only_ one standing.


	20. Unfinished Business

Chapter 20: Unfinished Business

The young princess awoke in a hazy fog. Her body felt heavy as she sat up from the ground. There was nothing around her but a gray fog surrounding her. Not a sound was heard, not even the echo of her breath.

_Am I dead? _

_**No, you are not dead**_. She jolted when the soft voice rang in her head. Yeah, that's right, in her head…not out loud. She got to her feet; the sudden burst of energy surged through her. She scanned the vast gray plains for the intruder.

_Where am I?_ She thought worriedly. She need to get back home, to her family; to help stop Koji's brother from destroying her past and ultimately her future.

_**Tsk, tsk, tsk. Always worrying about others, you forget about yourself**_. Wynter focused on the shadow emerging from the fog. She straightened when she recognized the person

_This is getting old. Don't you have any new tricks?_ She scoffed when she saw herself walking in front of her. Though Wynter was dressed for battle, the other was dressed in white and gold.

_**Fortunately for you, I'm not the enemy**_. The other stopped just in reaching distance. _**I'm you.**_ She finished and Wynter realized she spoke the truth. Every word she spoke, her mouth remained closed but her voice rang in her head.

She was definitely not in the mood for….whatever this was.

_**This is what happens when you come close to death. **_

_So…I'm not dead…but I'm not alive?_

_**You're alive, you're just not strong enough. **_

_So, I'm in a coma? …great!_ Wynter threw her hands in the air; she started to pace. Why was this happening?

_**It that the question you really want answered?**_

_The real question is: why am I talking to you…or rather myself! Like a crazy person!?_

Her conscious didn't answer for a moment, but watched her pace. Her frantic movements and snappy comments hid something that was buried inside.

_**The battle is almost over. Only one will come out standing. **_

_Well, that's obvious._ Wynter rolled her eyes, _and it's going to be us. _

_**When you say 'us' you included Koji**_.

_**Why wouldn't I? He's a part of this and he'll see this through the end as well**_.

_**You know…**_ her conscious said after a long pause. … _**your fates will never intertwine. **_

_Really?_ Wynter whirled around on her toes. _I'm about to go into the biggest fight of my life and all you can think about is my feelings for Koji!_

_**I'm not thinking about it, you are. I'm only exposing what you refuse to acknowledge. **_

_And what's that?! _She snapped in anger without a thought. In actuality, she didn't want to hear what the other was going to say.

_**You two are light and dark, good and evil. You two can coexist... but you two can never be as one. **_

_I don't have time for this. Please let me wake up soon_. She was so over being in this dream-like state. She was tired of hearing what she had been dreading since the moment she laid eyes on the dark prince several years ago. She knew her family wouldn't approve, her people wouldn't approve. But her mother told her the story of how she fell in love with her father, though her grandmother had disapproved. They made it through the rain. Why couldn't see make it through her own?

_**In order for you to win this war, one will have to go. **_

_Shut up._ Wynter slammed her hands to her ears. She was done listening to herself. She was done hearing what she had already known for years.

She just wanted to wake up.

* * *

And wake up she did. On the carpeted floor, she remained still and quiet. She heard rustling around her; small moments as if someone was walking softly trying not to disturb her. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim lit room; she could sense more people in the room with her, some she recognized, and some she didn't. But what really got her senses going was the foul stench that was wafting in her direction. It was a cross between sweating feet and swamp mildew waters.

She frowned as she turned her head away; the stiffness in her neck caused her to groan weakly.

"Wynter." She heard a soft voice from above her. She still a little sore, even as the woman's hands wrapped around her. The familiar scent of her comforted the teen.

"Mama." She said out of habit. She had been through a traumatic state, both physically and mentally, it was nice to feel safe.

"Thank God, you're ok." Serena's voice trembled. She had feared the worse when the girl didn't wake up after numerous attempts were made.

Wynter moaned again, smelling that foul smell again. "What is that smell?" she asked weakly. It was making her sick to her stomach.

"It's some herbs to help you wake up." The blonde explained. "You've been asleep for over fourteen hours." Slowly, Wynter sat up. The world around her was spinning, but she managed to hold it together, despite the foul smelling concoction brewing in Miyu's hands.

"Do you mind…" she stopped short when the young maiden poured water into the bowl. "…Thank you." She let out the breath she was holding as her hand fanned in front of her nose.

"Hm, at least your motor functions are normal as well as your senses." Gently, Miyu bent down. Her warm hand laid against Wynter's calmly skin. "Your temperature is down, for a human I suppose, but it's rising. A warm bath and you should be alright." Wynter looked at the raven beauty for a moment longer; she recognized some of her features.

"Are…are you Koji's mother?" she asked innocently. It unnerved her when she recoiled quickly; dread etched across her face, red eyes widen and mouth hung open.

"Shut up!" Miyu screeched from across the room when she heard Cree snorted out a laugh. She growled when her younger brother began to chuckle.

"Was it something I said?"

"That's Koji's sister." Serena whispered causing the other to panic in sheer embarrassment.

"I'm…"

"No." Miyu cut her off. The last thing she wanted was to hear an apology because she was mistaken for an older Clestial. "You've just come out of a coma." There was no way she was looked that old! The poor girl was just confused.

Exhausted and still reeling from supposed premonition, Wynter could only hope that this battle would be over and the victory would fall in their favor.

"Wynter?" Serena rubbed the teen's shoulders in comfort. It worried her that she was still pale and cold as ice. She watched as she scrubbed the heel of her hand over that pale, clammy flesh; she mustered up a weak smile.

"I think I'll take that bath now."

* * *

Darien distanced himself away from the others, residing on the balcony. He was the first to wake to see the destruction that he created. He saw the girls laying side by side on the floor. They were alive, but he remembered what he had done to them.

If he were a different man, he would have crawled into a corner within shadows and never come out. He would have let his sorrow and guilt consume him until he couldn't take it anymore.

He didn't want to hear the scouts' explanations of why he did it and that it wasn't his fault. He didn't want to see the despair in their eyes; the sympathy that he almost killed the woman he loved beyond reason and his first born that he never knew existed but loved her as if he had all of his life. Even when the women finally opened their eyes, he didn't go to them. He didn't want too. The guilt was the first to hit him, hard.

He had let the guilt swim in his system; he had deserved a little self-pity. Yet again, he had been compelled to hurt the people he loved. He thought he had grown stronger…he was wrong. In some ways, he was still weak.

As the chill of the winds picked up, the guilt dissipated and was replaced with hatred. No, he didn't like to harbor on_ that_ emotion because it never led to anything good. But under these circumstances, he was going to make the exception. He was sick and tired of someone hell-bent on world domination and his family suffered for it.

Even as his thoughts moved about his mind, dark clouds mysteriously appeared, rolling rapidly above him. The surge of energy surged through him just as the lightening surged through the skies; thunder boomed, breaking the sound barrier with such force it shattered the glass of buildings. Darien could feel the ground shake as bolts of electricity struck it.

The power that he felt was familiar. The night he faced Wynter's doubleganger; this was the same force as before. It felt very much like his own when he transformed. He scanned the horizon, pinpointing the exact location. Tokyo Tower was where the other 'Wynter' was hiding, or rather, waiting.

Was she trying to give away her hiding spot? With so much power, she might as well have built a neon sign that read _"Here I am!"_ He watched, with little emotion, the city crumbling to the ground. Screams and cries could be heard below; people scattered for safety. He realized that she was trying to draw them out; to bring them out of hiding and stop her destruction and harm. But, for the first time, since he had realized his purpose, his could have cared less.

Yes, it was their destinies to be the protectors of Earth and to ward off evil. But enough was enough! Somewhere down the line, their world was peaceful with no Negaverse, or sorceresses, or other evil forces trying to disrupt their happy lives. Somewhere it all ended…and it was going to begin today!

He didn't move when he heard the door slid open and close. He didn't acknowledge the demon as he stood next to him. He didn't completely trust him; after he and his sisters explained who the mastermind behind their new foes was, he became even more leery of him. But, he didn't have the luxury to pick and choose who his ally was.

"Once Wynter gets her bearings together, we'll head out and end this." Koji allowed the awkward silence between them linger; he had a good idea of what he was going through, but being the kind of person that Koji was, he wasn't going to pat Darien on the back and tell him everything was going to be ok. At the end of the day, he was going to have to push that aside on his own and focus on the bigger picture.

"I know this probably isn't the way you all do things." Koji started once he realized that Darien wasn't going to speak first. "But I know my brother and he's not going to stop until he has what he wants, by any means necessary."

"Is there a point you're trying to make?"

"What I'm getting at, if you are in the position, will you be willing to kill another being?"

The future king didn't answer immediately. He was angry and wanted to end this war and get back to peace, the thought of killing another never crossed his mind.

"I'm wary of you and of your leadership skills." Darien paused and took a sharp intake. "But that doesn't take precedent to the fact that I was compelled and nearly raped my girlfriend and almost killed her and my daughter. That the very planet that I was born to protect is going down in flames before my eyes and it's all because of one man who's more powerful than anyone I have ever faced. So to answer your question: if I am presented the opportunity to end the life of another? If that meant that it would save my family's life, then so be it."

Koji noted the determination in his voice; the sudden upright posture from his sullen one just moments before. He now understood where Wynter developed her behavioral skills from.

"That's what I like to hear."

"And you?" This time Darien tuned to face the other. "Are you willing to ally with us and betray your own kind? Wynter might have some faith in you, but like I said before, I am wary of what you'll do and what your true intentions are. So my question to you is: are you willing to kill your brother, if the opportunity presents itself, or will you let him get away as you did before?"

"You don't need to worry about my intentions; I am on your side until this is over." Koji stopped as the rounds or thunder roared through the air, drowning out his voice. "I have to think of my family and my peoples' safety as well. I let Shiguire go once before because he was my brother. Despite the fact that he killed dozens upon dozens of my people, despite the fact that he let my mother die for the sake of his own pride. I still let him go because at that time, I was weak. I will not let that happened again. There won't be a second chance. I will help you stop him, once and for all, because I have a family to think of. If he survives, they won't. I'm not about to let that happen."

"That's what I like to hear."

* * *

Suited up for battle, the Scouts, Wynter, Koji, and Tuxedo Mask made it to the base of the Tokyo Tower. But their journey across the city was a hard one to bear; Koji had instructed that they couldn't stop, no matter what. It didn't matter that buildings were crashing around them, vehicles were overturned, lightening stuck, purposely, in their path. It didn't matter that the screams of people around them pierced their hearts as they ran pass. The wounded cried out, reaching out for help, while others laid dead.

"We can't stop to help!" the seasoned warrior called out. These were the casualties of war and the site in front of their eyes could not affect them; not yet. Not until their enemy was destroyed.

When they made it to the entrance, they were greeted by a dark figure. No one made a move; he stepped towards them.

"Great job." The figure applauded them. The sound of the heels of his boots echoed as he proceeded towards them.

Sailor Moon and the others tensed, unsure as to who was approaching. Was it Shiguire? Surely he wouldn't expose himself so soon. Or maybe it was a new foe that they hadn't faced.

"Seiya?" Sailor Moon couldn't believe her eyes. What was going on?!

"Hey, Sailor Moon." Seiya greeted her with a smile that would have melted the hearts of many young girls; dressed in all leather and black, like the rock star that he was. But something was off.

"What?...I can't get a hug?" He questioned the heroine.

"Why?"

"Aw…don't start crying now, meatball head."

"Don't trust him." Koji growled, baring his teeth. "It's a trick. He has that witches scent all over him."

Seyia chuckled, as if he didn't have a care in the world. "It took you this long to figure it out?" He threw his hands up in surrender. "It's not like that little information will do you any good. Look around. Master's plan is well underway. There's nothing that you can do now but beg for mercy."

"We don't back down to scum!" Jupiter snarled back.

"Well…" their enemy shrugged his shoulders. "…if you want the challenge and end your lives quicker, just go up there and see for yourselves. But I promise you, you won't make it passed the first floor."

"You all go." Tuxedo Mask stepped forward. He had a feeling that Seyia was only stalling with his idle chattering and frankly he wanted to punch him in his smug face.

"Tuxedo Mask? You can't face…"

"It's just one guy, there's no point in having all of us here. We'd be wasting time."

"You think you can take me on?" Seyia taunted. He shrugged of his jacket just as the other man took off his hat and white eye mask.

"You bastard, I would like nothing more than to kick your ass."

Wynter tapped her neighboring scout, signaling her to move. "When the hat and the mask come off….it gets real!"

"Go!"

The others didn't waste another second as they raced towards the base of Tokyo Tower. To their surprise, Seyia didn't stop there advance. Sailor Moon brushed away the thought that Seyia was right, that they wouldn't be able to undo what was already done.

They had to win, there was no other option.

Failing the world was not an option.

* * *

"What the hell!?" The scouts stopped, confused by the layout of the entrance of the Tower. Dark, cold, foggy as if they were standing in the middle of a forest, they had a feeling they were no longer in Japan.

"Be careful." The hairs on the back of Koji's neck stood on ends as mixed energy filled the atmosphere. "We're in the witches' realm." He turned to be faced with fear and uncertainly in their eyes. "It's an illusion. As long as you don't believe what your eyes see and your ear hear…" as soon as he spoke the words, the fog cleared revealing seven doorways.

"Now what?" Uranus scanned the doorways; she could sense nothing out of the ordinary but she knew differently.

"These doors will lead us to the top. To where Shiguire is. We have to go through."

"But which one?" Venus spoke.

"Will it matter? No matter which on we chose, we know that something …or someone will be waiting." Koji became nervous. The energy was growing, his brother was becoming stronger. They couldn't waste any more time.

"Let's go." Uranus moved away from the pack, walking briskly towards a door. She wasn't going to sit and flip a coin to what door they were going through.

"Wait…" Neptune trotted to keep up behind her. As soon as the two went beyond the doorway, the entrance disappeared.

"Well …that solves that." Koji exasperated.

"What?! What happened?!" Sailor Moon ran to the wall where the door once was.

"It's the rule of their realm, I suppose." Koji explained. "Only two through one portal; there will probably be a test waiting as well. I hope they were listening that this is all an illusion."

"In the meantime…" Mercury grabbed Sailor Moon's hand; she did her best to console her frantic leader. "We need to pair up and pray that everyone makes it to the top."

"But someone will be left out."

"We can't leave anyone behind." Sailor Moon said adamantly. "No one."

"And we don't have too." Everyone turned to see Tuxedo Mask coming towards them. His clothes were tattered and he was bloodied, but ultimately he was victorious. "He put up a better fight then I thought he would." He commented as he stood beside his beloved.

Sailor Moon took a deep breath, then another before she finally settled down. Her chant ran through her head as everyone grabbed a neighboring hand: herself with her dearest friend, Mercury. Mars with Venus; Tuxedo Mask took Mini Moon's hand while Jupiter stood beside Pluto.

"See you guys at the top." Wynter gave a "thumbs up" for encouragement before racing off into the doorway, unaware of what they all were getting themselves into.

* * *

"They're coming." Wynter announced.

"I'm well aware of that." Shiguire stood in the middle of the stone room as Tempests stayed in her trance of chaos. Her red energy encased her as a untranslatable chant spilled from her mouth. He could see from the windows what destruction was befalling on the city below his feet. The torment the witch was creating.

It was a marvelous sight; and soon, very soon, he would have this world and every other world in the palms of his hands.

* * *

We're almost at the end folks! So review/comment and I will see you in the new year!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 2014!

SMOOCHES!


	21. Broken

**A/N: So...I actually lost a friend over this chapter. Ain't that sad? *sniff-sniff* O well! He'll come back! ...maybe :/ **

Chapter 21:Broken

Uranus and Neptune continued to run up the staircase that seemed to be never were no obstacles standing in their way, no enemies trying to stop their progress. At least not yet. It didn't take long to realize that it was just the two of them. Somewhere along the line, they got separated from the group; they prayed that they would meet up soon enough.

Finally the stairs leveled off into a platform. There was no one in sight; just an empty room. The two scanned for any intruders but could sense nothing. Were they in another dimension? Were the witches able to cloak their presence? Either way, they weren't letting their guard down for a second.

"I'm surprised you've made it this far." A sultry voice came from behind them. Uranus's heart quicken, recognizing it immediately.

"You!" Neptune's eyes widen when she saw the red-headed temptress come into view. Amora clapped her hands in a faux applause.

"It's a shame that you figured it out, all too late." She smoothed her hands over her bodice slowly, making eye contact with the blonde. "The end is near and you two will be on the losing side. Too bad."

Uranus was seething; She felt her skin crawl as the memories of that night replayed in her mind.

How could she have been so blind!?

"Aw! Don't give me that look." The seductress teased. "We had so much fun together; don't be like that."

"Shut up!" gritting her teeth, Uranus moved first. Charging at the witch, she summoned her powers, morphing it into the orange orb. It collided with its target as soon as it left her hand. The explosion shook the room as dark plumes of smoke engulfed them.

"_Tsk, tsk, tsk_. Did you think it would be that easy?" Her taunting voice surrounded the warrior. Because of the smoke, Uranus couldn't pinpoint where she was hiding.

"Lucky for you, I'm not much of a fighter." She said after a pause, the smoke began to clear. "But that doesn't mean I don't have any tricks up my sleeve." Uranus realized that Amora was behind her. Quickly, she turned on her heels. Pissed that she wasn't a step ahead of her enemy; that she didn't realize who the _real_ target was.

Amora wrapped her arms lovingly around Neptune from behind, her head rested peacefully on her shoulder as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"Such a lovely creature, she is."

"Neptune, get away from her!" Uranus warned.

"Oh." Amora laughed. "Do you think I would let her get away? Besides, we have much to talk about." Uranus ran towards them. She was not going to allow that deceitful bitch to harm Neptune. She was halfway across the room before she slammed into an invisible wall. She pushed and slammed her shoulder into it, but couldn't get through.

"Hmmm…you weren't that eager to be at her side when you were with me." Uranus heard her say.

"So pathetic and treacherous love can be. It can be one sided and selfish." As Amora spoke, she stroked Neptune's arms as if comforting her. "Prime example: this twisted love triangle." Amora rubbed her cheek against her like a cat would its owner. "She loves you deeply; I can feel it, all of her love is for you and you alone. Not once has she betrayed you, not once has she lusted after another. She solely belongs to you. You know that...and yet...you decide to sleep with me. You decided to betray her."

"Shut up!" Uranus's fist slammed against the invisible force field in anger. "You tricked me! You seduced me!"

"Yes, I played a part in seducing you. But _you_, Amara, you followed. I can't create what's not in someone's heart. I exaggerate what's already there, however, if you didn't have lust for me, then you wouldn't have come to my bed."

As the two spoke, Amora taunting and revealing the secrets while Amara defended her actions, Neptune heard every word. She was taken aback when Amora had come from behind. She had immobilized her body so she couldn't move, or speak. She could only listen to the betrayal. She knew that Amara had been acting strange towards her, becoming distant, but she couldn't understand why. She had chalked it up to her paranoia; that everything was in her head. Even after she started to come home late at night, the smell of another woman on her body as she passed by the bed they shared lingered long after she rinsed it off. She was hiding what she had feared most.

"Your suspicious were correct all along." Amora whispered in her ear. "She betrayed you. After everything you've been through. Years together, always at each other's side; and yet, she falls for another."

Tears fell from her sea green eyes as the sounds of her own heart shattering rang in her ears. She had lost Amara to another. It may have been a brief affair, but it didn't matter. Amara had shared the most intimate parts of her. She had shared her heart, her soul, her spirit. She had given to a stranger what was only meant for her.

How could she forgive _that_?

How could she forgive _her_?

Amora's eyes glittered with amusement. Leaning forward, she tilted Neptune's chin up. The kiss was small but more than effective. When their lips parted, a small red glow fell from the witch's mouth and entered Neptune's.

"Neptune! Fight it! Don't let it consume you!"

But it was too late. Her vulnerable, broken heart was just what Amora needed. Her spell took effect almost immediately. The deep sea green eyes turned a soft pink, indicating that the warrior was now under her spell.

"Now, I think it's time for a little payback." Amora smiled as she turned her puppet towards Uranus. With a flick of her wrist, the wall that held Uranus away was gone. Now there was nothing holding the other back from taking her anger out on the other.

And there was nothing more dangerous than the wrath of a brokenhearted woman.

* * *

It was no coincidence that Koji and Wynter were the first to arrive to the top. The room was dank and dark; fog rolled at their feet as the cold wet atmosphere settled on their flesh. There seemed to be no one in sight, though they would be fools to think otherwise.

"Stay close." He whispered, taking a step. The sound of his boot hitting the damp floor echoed off the walls. His hand stayed firmly on the hilt of his sword as they proceeded forward. The snap of something giving way to his weight sprung fear into Wynter's heart. Without missing a beat, the two warriors spun around, placing their backs to one another.

Koji could hear Wynter's heartbeat quicken but her breathing was even, which eased his mind. She was tensed, maybe even scared, but she was prepared for anything that was subjected to come their way.

Steel javelins shot through the fog, in every direction. Their reactions were quick, but not quick enough. Several of the razor jagged edges cut into them before they were able to put up a barrier. Blood dripped from their open wounds as they used their energy to keep the shield up. The javelins seemed to be never ending, ramming into the force field like rain. The Celestial looked over at his partner. Her skin was pale, her eyes glassy against the barrier's light.

_Shit_. He thought as his wounds were healing, Wynter was struggling to stay on her feet. If he didn't do something soon, she was going to pass out.

"Wynter, put down your shield." It worried him that she didn't respond to his command. "Wynter!" he bellowed.

"Huh?" she snapped out of her daze. When would the spears stop attacking them? Would they ever? She didn't want Koji to bear the burden of protecting them but she could feel herself fading fast.

"Drink from me." His next command didn't seem to register in her brain.

"What?"

"You're losing too much blood. I can't have you passing out on me, or worse." He needed her. He hated to admit it, but he needed her. "Take my blade and cut me. My blood will heal you. I can hold the shield up, but you need to do it now!" He watched her as she processed the information. It was the only way. They both knew that he was right.

But the action itself… …

"Wynter! Now is not the time to engage your moral compass!"

_He's right_. She nodded, signaling him that she was ready. As she released her power, he increased his. The javelins hit hard, ricocheting off they grey orb. Wynter could feel her body dropping below normal temperatures; her vision blurred as she tried to balance herself. Like a newborn puppy, she tripped over her feet.

Koji managed to brace her weight as she fell on him.

"Damn it." He cursed, she could barely keep her head up, let along lift his sword. "You will NOT be a pain in my ass today!" Koji scowled, biting into his own wrist drawing blood. He sucked until his mouth was full. He dreaded his decision for a split second; not because he was trying to save her life, but he never wanted his first kiss with her to be like this.

Once his stained lips touched hers, he pried her mouth opened letting crimson liquid poured from his into hers. It dripped from the corners of her mouth, staining her clothes.

The warm bitterness ran down her throat. She couldn't explain the feeling, the taste. It wasn't what she had expected. It grew hot with each passing second as the blood merged into her system.

She felt Koji's lips melt into hers again, giving her more of the intoxicating elixir. This time she was aware and could identify the blood as bitter, yet sweet and tangy. It wasn't a wonder why it was forbidden to drink from a Celestial. It was powerful, addicting.

"My, my. What a surprise." In the mist of trying to save his partner's life, he was unaware that they javelin barrage had ceased.

"I was not expecting the cold, heartless Koji would actually risk his own life to save someone that wasn't his own kind."

That voice… _that_ voice sent icy spikes down his spine. Koji couldn't begin to describe the anger and hatred that ran through his entire being. Slowly, he let Wynter settle her weight on her feet before releasing her. He pushed her behind him in defense.

"Now." The man standing several feet away proceeded to take off his white mask. Only one red eye was visible, the other was sealed shut with a wide jagged scar that crossed diagonally over his face. The disfigurement was a constant reminder of his defeat and banishment. .

"Why don't you come over and give your big brother a hug?" It was the face that would flash back in his dreams from time to time. That same cocky smirk that seemed to piss him off. That glint of challenge behind his eyes. The air of arrogance and entitlement that surrounded him. He hadn't changed, not in all these years. He was made half a foot taller than him now. His jet black hair was still slicked back away from his face. Aside from the scar, his features were almost identical to his own. That was all that he could say about him. The murderous bastard shared nothing more than genetic DNA, but he stopped referring to him as _brother_ a long time ago

Koji glowered, baring his canines. "I should have killed you." He growled.

"Woulda, shoulda, coulda." Shiguire grinned. "Isn't that what the young kids say these days?" Koji gripped they the handle of his weapon, ready to use it at any given moment.

"Woah, woah." Shiguire raised his hands, palms facing outwards. "We have plenty of time for fighting. Why don't we chat for a bit?"

"There's nothing I want to say to you."

"How's the family?" Shiguire continued, ignoring Koji's previous statement. "How are Miyu and Cree? How is Father?" He bit on that last one.

"Wishing you were dead." He answered truthfully.

"Ah, come one. I'm sure I've been mentioned a few times?"

"Yes, as the disgrace of the family."

That had Shiguire grinding his teeth. "Well, if they aren't talking about you, than you're not important."

"Trust me, you're not important to us at all."

This banter was going on long enough. Was he stalling for time? Being trapped in that mirror labyrinth should have given him more than enough time than he would like to admit to hatch whatever he had been scheming.

"I'm sure mother…" before he could finish his taunting, a blue orb flew past his face; the heat alone could have melted the other half of his face if he had not been paying attention.

"Don't you dare." Shiguire was irritated that he allowed Koji to almost get the upper hand, but seeing the anger light up in his eyes was worth it.

_That's right Koji, get angry with me. It will be even sweeter when I kill you_.

"Koji." Wynter could feel the rage radiating off his body. "Don't let him get under your skin." She tried to reach out to comfort him only to have him seethe and recoil.

"Don't…touch…me." He hissed, which was warning enough.

"You should do as he says." The treacherous bastard taunted. "Don't worry, I'll have something occupy your time while we get reacquainted."

At the snap of his fingers, Wynter's twin appeared through the shadows. The demonic aura that surrounded her unnerved the other. Whatever happened in the last weeks since she put her foot up her ass, wasn't going to be good for her now.

Her suspicions were accurate when the doubleganger charged at them, turning her sword in hand, she sliced up.

Koji and Wynter dodged it, separating in opposite directions. As instructed, 'Wynter' leaped towards her counterpart, this time, Wynter blocked with her own weapon. The aftershock of the blow nearly knocked her off balance.

Ice chilled in her veins when she looked into her opponent's eyes. Black and dead as if the life had been ripped from her. There was nothing left but a shell.

Kicking low, Wynter was able to catch the other off guard. Skillfully, the blade sliced, cutting deep. The same black slime oozed from the wound just as the creature from her apartment. It came to no surprise to her when the copy rejuvenated as if the cut was never there.

It didn't bother the princess. Now that she was aware that the person in front of her was longer a person, if she even was one from the beginning, it would be no problem ending 'her' life.

* * *

Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury ran through the tunnel. The light was just in front of them but it seemed that they were getting nowhere fast. The two had just escaped from the mirror labyrinth. Battered and wounded from the razor sharp glass that would shatter and propel at them at any given moment, it amazed them that they were able to get out without worse injuries.

Suddenly, shrills ran through them when the high pitch scream whaled through the tunnel.

"What was that?" Sailor Moon felt something move in her spirit. Coldness wrapped itself around her.

"Let's move." Mercury said nothing as she followed her leader. As they approached the end, weeping could be heard from just beyond it. The light blinded the scouts from a moment before the horrid sight filled their eyes.

"Sailor Uranus!" They found the blonde weeping in hysteria over the other who laid dead, a dagger plunged in her chest.

"Uranus." Sailor Moon came to the Scout's side as Mercury checked the body for any signs of life. Uranus was unresponsive other than crying uncontrollably. "Amara!" Sailor Moon wrapped her arms around her, rocking her.

"It's….this…" Uranus managed between sobs. "…is all my fault." She coughed out more tears. Her mind hadn't yet processed everything, but her heart knew. Seeing Sailor Neptune laying in a dark pool of her own blood, her flesh was slowly turning grey. She knew.

She knew.

"What happened?" Mercury wiped away angry tears. She noticed the wounds and bruises on both women, but she didn't sense the presence of any of the witches.

"Amora…she used a spell on her." The memories flooded back as she grabbed her hair, transferring blood to her tresses. "I did this! If I hadn't slept with that bitch!" She cried harder. "One moment of weakness! Michelle didn't deserve this. It was supposed to be me! _Me_!

"I drew my dagger for protection, but I wasn't going to use it on her. She…got it away from me and for a second, she broke through and…" Uranus couldn't finish; it was evident that Neptune was aware of their circumstances, but couldn't stop her body. Somehow, she broke free of the spell just for a moment and drove the weapon into her chest.

Sailor Moon didn't know what else to do but rock her comrade while she wept for the other. Both for Uranus's comfort as well as her own. Her heart cried as she let tears fall. This wasn't what she had planned. She didn't prepare herself for this tragedy. Yet, there was always a risk every time they stepped into battle, she still wasn't prepared to see her friend dead. She wasn't prepared to have the other breakdown in despair and hysteria.

"We have to move." Mercury rose to her feet. She turned away from the body. She had seen many people like during the summer, but now that it was one of her own, she fought back the urge to breakdown. It wasn't the time. Who knew what carnage was just beyond the walls outside. Who knew how much devastation was upon the world or even how long they were in this dimension.

"No!" Uranus looked between the two in distress. "I can't leave her! Not like this."

"I don't know if she can be saved, but we can't stay here." There would be time for grief later. After they defeated the witches and restored the world back to the way it was before they entered their lives.

"Mercury is right." Sailor Moon nodded, she felt Uranus stiffen. "Neptune wouldn't want us to fail. Her sacrifice can't go in vain." She got up as well, pulling the amazon to her feet.

"Failure isn't an option." She spoke her mantra, watching in silence as Uranus continued gaze at her fallen lover in sorrow. The last of her tears fell before her features harden. The sorrow was now mixing with anger as she straightened.

She allowed the shorter blonde to wipe away the smudges of dirt and blood from her face before moving on. Uranus said a silent prayer as they bounded up the staircase that Michelle's soul was making a save journey to the afterlife.

* * *

**Review/Comment! Plz! **

Almost done. Everything is written (the old fashion way w/ pen and paper) I just gota transfer it, edit, tweak here and there. But I'll definitely have the rest posted before the March is over.

So stay tuned!

SMOOCHES!


	22. All Hope Is Lost

Chapter 22: All Hope Is Lost

Wynter's back cracked against the cement walls; she cried out as she slid to the ground. She was growing weary while her clone seemed to be unfazed by her attacks. She managed to move out the way as a fireball barreled in her direction; she tucked and rolled for protection as the impact knocked her off her feet.

The young princess could barely get back up. Her breathing was ragged as she glared at the enemy. The other said nothing as she drew her blade identical to hers. She charged at her with such speed, Wynter wasn't sure if she could stop her.

Koji's fire attack knocked Wynter's doubleganger to the ground, saving the other from near death. Wynter didn't have time to thank him; she needed to use the opportunity to get the upper hand.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Shiguire wagged a finger at his brother. "You need to pay attention to your _own_ fight." To prove his point, a black root sprung out of the cement floor. Koji dodged the initial one, but he couldn't get away. The root snagged him at by the ankle, wrapping around tightly, sending waves of pain through it. It tugged hard and slammed him to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of him. His vision became blurry, his head and body exploded in pain.

"See what I mean?" He could hear the taunting in his brother's words.

He struggled to get up; his legs shook as they supported his weight. Shiguire had gotten a lot stronger than the last time he had seen him. It was no surprise; he wouldn't have tried to take over the world if he were still at the same strength. But he wasn't expecting him to be so formidable.

Shiguire wanted to laugh at the pitiful sight. Nearly a century ago, he was in the same position: weak. He vowed that he would rather end his life than to revert to the same state of weakness. He sought his revenge and now it was time to take back what was rightfully his.

"I'll offer you a deal." he said suddenly. "Come to my side, brother."

Koji narrowed his eyes in suspicion. _Does he think I'm a fool?_

Shiguire held up his hands in surrender as he walked over to him. "We can be partners in all of this." He negotiated. "Of course, I can't forgive you for your past digressions; after you've be properly punished and I've been satisfied, I'll allow you to join me at my side."

Koji scoffed. "A_fter_ I'm punished…" he let out a small laugh. "Whatever happened to a clean slate?"

"There won't be a clean slate. After all, it's _your_ fault that I'm in this situation. But we, as Celestials, need to come together as a race. Don't you want to be on the winning side?"

The younger Celestial remained silent. He could sense the others were close.

_About damn time!_ He needed to focus on Shiguire, but he couldn't fully concentrate because he was concerned with his partner. She was outmatched and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let her die. He couldn't protect his mother; he'd be damned if he would let Wynter suffer the same fate on the anniversary of his mother's death.

"Sure, I'll join you." His comment had Shiguire raise an eyebrow. "In Hell!"

It wasn't the attack that surprised him; he knew that his brother would never surrender to him. But the power behind the blast took him off guard. His world went black momentarily when he struck the ceiling, before crashing to the ground. Boulders of rubble fell around and on top of him.

_You'll pay for that._ He thought venomously.

Wynter blocked skillfully, knocking her twin off guard.

_Finally, an opening! _She swung diagonally; her blade cut through flesh from shoulder to waist. The other stopped as the gaping wound spilled out the same black gunk dripping at her feet. Her hand touched it, covering it.

The blow should have been fatal to any being. But she moved as if the wound didn't exist. Wynter didn't know what else to do. She panicked as the other walked towards her, twirling the blade in hand. How was she to stop this thing?

She tripped over a tree root, causing her to fall; her weapon clattered to the ground. She had no energy to muster up. If she tried to use any more of her power she would die.

But if she didn't, the other would do the job. She didn't have a choice!

"_Venus Love Chain Encircle!" _The golden chain wrapped around the hilt of the sword and her wrist just as the doubleganger was about to deliver the final blow.

Wynter watched briefly as the clone seemed to be unaware that Sailor Venus had trapped her. Her dead eyes were focused on her target. As Venus pulled hard on the chain, keeping her prisoner reined back, Wynter scurried to her weapon just as the links broke.

The steel went through her copy's chin, into her skull. She watched in fear as the other continued to move forward, then suddenly stopped. Its eyes rolled into the back of its head and finally going limp. The princess pushed back, allowing its weight to fall away from her. She pulled her treasured sword out, watching as her copy reverted to its true form of black sludge.

Wynter stumbled to the cold damp floor in relief as the other Scouts rushed to her side.

"Are you alright?" Tuxedo Mask placed a hand on her should to steady her. She was shaking in fear as she tried to suck in air into her exhausted lungs.

"Yeah…" she answered after a while. "…yeah." She looked up at the surrounding faces; faces that were bloodied and bruised stained with dirt and blood. Wynter didn't feel so bad that she wasn't the only one the looked like hell. She was grateful when Tuxedo Mask helped her to her feet. She scanned the faces once more, mentally counting.

Then she noticed.

"Where's Sailor Neptune?" The name stiffened Sailor Uranus while the others looked on in puzzlement.

_Where was she?_

The dead silence and adverting eyes gave her a bad feeling.

"Where's Neptune?" Wynter spoke with authority. She demanded an answer. She needed to know; even when it was obvious, she still wanted an answer.

"She's dead." Mercury squeezed Uranus's arm lightly out of remorse and comfort. The group's reaction was a mix of shock , anger, and sadness. Wynter could feel her emotions bubbling and all but managed to gulp them back down. She was definitely going to make Shiguire pay.

She saw him rise to his feet in the distance, knocking off the dust and debris from his cloak. She swore he was smiling at them as if he knew something that they didn't.

Though Shiguire did smile, his eyes shone red with rage. "I should have known that those witches couldn't eliminate you all on their own." He ran his fingers through his hair in mild frustration. "It doesn't matter anymore." His hand ran over his chest, unbuckling his cloak. It pooled to the floor, revealing a black suit of amour. He power started to grow; the room began to shake underneath their feet.

Koji jumped back towards the group as black trees began to sprout from the concrete behind his brother. Their roots jutted out from the walls, ceiling, and floor. Everyone moved out of the way as rubble fell around them because of the increasing volume of foliage trying to make room as it grew rapidly.

Once the roots stopped, they could clearly see the thrones covered in black sludge; dark energy was emitting from them. So much chaos and evil surrounded them, it was hard to focus.

"Oh my God." Sailor Moon gasped out. The trees stood tall, seven in total, pumped the chaotic energy through the black roots like a heart would pump blood through veins. What terrified her most was the sculptures etched in the base of each trunk. But she was smart enough to know that they weren't sculptures.

The witches had been swallowed by the trees; bodies protruded out in unmistakable outlines; their faces were permanently petrified in anguish, fear, and pain. Their eyes were gone, only replaced by roots of the black trees. They were permanent prisoners to Shiguire.

"How do you like my garden?" He patted one that held the sorceress of Vanity. "They served their purpose in helping me gain what I needed."

"Koji." Sailor Mars spoke. "What is that thing?"

"The Death Forest. A powerful technique that even the strongest and oldest of Celestials have a hard time mastering." He gritted his canines. _How has Shiguire become this strong_?! "It takes its prisoners as hostages, absorbing their energy while they will spend eternity in pain and suffering."

"You mean.."

"Yes, they're still alive, but only in their spirit. Their physical bodies are dead while their souls are being ripped apart and the Tree continues to drink from them."

How could anyone be so sadistic, so horrific? They were their enemy, yes; but they wouldn't wish that kind of eternal punishment on anyone.

"How do we stop it? How do we stop _him_?"

"His heart. In front of us is only a shell, we can attack it as many times but he will not fall. In this room, his heart is hidden. We must find his heart, but be careful. This fog will play tricks on you. It will make you see what isn't there. If you can't pull yourself out, the roots will sense it and absorb you, making you apart of his collection.

"What?!" The women exclaimed. Koji could only nod, never taking his eyes of his brother.

"I'll keep him busy while you find his heart and destroy it."

As he spoke his last command, the fog rolled over their feet, becoming thick and hazy. He turned to see the others were now out of sight.

He cursed silently. They were on their own now.

* * *

It was cold, so cold that he had to force himself not to let his teeth chatter. Once the fog rose, blanketing the entire room in a greyish-white haze, Koji had lost sight of everyone. He knew he wasn't far, but he wasn't close either and the damn fog was messing with his senses. He walked cautiously, stepping over the roots. They were immobile, but the thrones were laced with poison. Not enough to kill, but definitely would weaken for a time. The death tree needed its prey alive before consuming it.

Soft cries echoed suddenly; someone weeping perhaps. He stopped and cleared his surroundings.

"Why? Why…why?" the voice echoed over and over. His heart thundered when he recognized the owner of the voice. The woman dressed in white, sat on the ground crying, her head was lowered causing her dark hair to curtain her face. But he didn't need to see it to know.

"Why, Koji?! Why did you let them take me?" Her ivory hand brushed back the ebony locks, revealing her have. Her blue eyes glimmered with tears. She looked like how he remembered her. Nearly a century had past and not a day had gone by that he didn't think of his mother. Bitterness grew inside as he approached her.

"We were supposed to be together." She wailed. "We were supposed to be a family."

In a different place in his life, he would have fallen for it, let the guilt consume him. But he was wiser now; stronger now. He wasn't going to let this get to him.

The woman outstretched her arms, a smile graced her lips. "Koji, my baby. My darling baby boy." Her voice was becoming nails on a chalkboard to him. She sounded the same. She looked the same, but he knew that it wasn't her and she would never come back.

His eyes went flat; he drove his fist into the core of her stomach. Watching the shock spread across her face, then disappointment.

"Koji?"

"This is low." He growled menacingly. "Even for a bastard like you, this is low."

The image of his mother contorted her face into a crocked smile.

"You have to admit, it was fun for a moment." She said before her body shaped and shifted. The body morphed into its original form. Shiguire was surprised that Koji had pierced his armor, penetrating his flesh. However, his efforts were useless. He couldn't be killed that way. In fact, he couldn't be killed at all!

Shiguire grabbed his arm so he couldn't move. The force of his gripped had Koji howling in pain as the bones snapped from the pressure. Out of pleasure, he shot his hand through his chest. The blow rendered Koji in and out of consciousness. He dropped to his knees, feeling weaker by the second.

"See, _darling_ brother. I knew you wouldn't resist the illusion. Even if you had an ounce of doubt that is was a trick. I still needed you close enough." Extracting his hand, Koji could see the silver thrones of the Death Tree between Shiguire's fingers now coated with his blood.

He should have known better! _Damn him!_

"Now, how will I kill you?" He heard him say triumphantly. "A quick merciful death or shall I allow the roots to consume you for eternity? Decisions, decisions." Relishing the moment of defeating his younger brother he didn't sense the attack coming from behind him until his body was burning with pain.

The fire wrapped around him so fast as if he were doused with oil. His screams ricocheted off the walls as he was engulfed in flames. The smell of iron and burning flesh filled the air.

"You little _bitch!_ I'll kill you both!"

Wynter leaped to the side, gathering Koji in her arms to support his weight. She didn't speak as she pulled Koji away from danger. They disappeared into the fog. She didn't stop, even when the agonizing screams faded in the background. Not until she was sure that they were safe did she stop moving. Letting Koji down slowly, she rested his back against the wall that wasn't surrounded by poisonous roots.

His breathing was shallow, his skin paler than usual and clammy. Thankfully the bleeding from the hole in his chest had receded and he was lucid.

"Where are the others?" he looked over her shoulder, noting that it was just the two of them.

"I left them behind to find Shiguire's heart. Then I saw you." Koji nodded. Moving his hand over his chest, the poison was still in effect, he wasn't healing as fast as he should have.

"The Scouts have their hands full." Wynter continued. "Uranus…she trying to let the Tree consume her."

"She's a fool."

"Yes, but she's filled with guilt about Sailor Neptune. She can't fight it." He shifted, trying to move. The pain paralyzed him as he sunk back down.

"Don't move."

"The longer we stay here, the less time we have. They won't be able to hold off those roots for long."

Wynter held her hands on his shoulders. "I'll go then. I'll find it. But what about you?"

He chocked out a laugh; did he really look that bad? "I'll be fine. I won't allow my mind to play tricks on me." His hand found her wrist. He squeezed it lightly. "Don't listen to anything you hear." He warned her. "Don't believe anything that you see. The closer you are to the heart, the stronger the illusions will be. You have to fight them."

Wynter gulped. His voice was shallow and lowered as his eyes were filled with caution and warning. She couldn't fail.

"I'll get it and destroy it." The prince held on to her longer than he anticipated. His crimson eyes locked with her dark blue. The kiss surprised her, it was soft and warm and short. Her eyes widened as she felt her face burn with embarrassment.

"Talk about inappropriate moments." She joked once his lips let go of hers.

"Don't you dare die!" her smile left as she nodded in affirmation.

"Right!"

* * *

Cold. It was so cold as she moved through the thicket. She didn't know how far she was from the others or where she was going for that matter. On top of that, Wynter had no clue how to locate Shiguire's heart. Maybe she should have asked before racing off in a mad panic. Koji didn't seem to be too concerned about that. In fact, he was more than confident in her abilities to find it.

"_**Ha! Do you think he was confident?**_**" **the voice came from nowhere. She stopped and circled. There was no one around. "_**More like he had lost all hope**_." It was an unfamiliar voice taunting and echoing around in the room, in her mind. "_**There's no hope for any of you. Everyone is dying**_**.**"

"No." she started to pick up the pace. Koji told her not to listen.

"_**Koji didn't want you to see him die**__._"

The vision of the Celestial Prince, his body motionless in the same spot she had left him in. The wound in his chest was black with poison. His eyes slightly open were dead and cold. The sight almost brought her to her knees.

_It's not real. It's not real._ She started to run. Running away from the illusion. She ran aimlessly until she saw a shadowy figure in the distance. Cautiously studying it as it didn't move. She wasn't sure what it was. Hand on the hilt of her blade, she proceeded to investigate. The closer she got, the clearer the figure came into focus as the fog began to dissipate.

Horror filled Wynter's system. She screamed at the sight of Tuxedo Mask. Dead. Hanging by his neck. Tears fell from her eyes as her body shook uncontrollably. She couldn't process it. She couldn't tell her mind that it was a trick. She shook her head and ran again, only to trip and stumble to the wet ground.

"No!" she shrieked, crawling away from yet another lifeless body; this time Sailor Pluto. "This isn't real!" She told herself even as another one of her friends, her mother, her sister, were surrounding her one by one dead; their bodies mangled and broken.

She was going insane. How could she tell if this real or not? Not when she could smell the stench of death and blood. Not when they were all right there in front of her. Maybe they were and she was alone to face the sadistic mad man.

"_No_." she silently thought. "_No. No. No_." she beat her fist against her head, slamming her eyes shut. To block the visions. To block the sight of gore and horror in front of her.

"No! No! No! No!"

"Wynter!" she heard someone call out to her but she refused to open her eyes.

"No!" she shouted again.

"Wynter!" This time, she felt something touching her. She fought back, swinging her fist at the air.

"Wynter! Sweetheart! Wake up!" The voice was breaking through. The voice in her head was becoming more clear. A female, familiar to her.

"Wynter! Open your eyes. It's okay. You're safe." The voice was her mother's; soft and soothing, assuring her that she was alright. She stopped fighting. Her heart pounding in her ears as she forced her eyes open.

The bright light blinded her. She breathed heavily as her senses tried to make out everything She was not in the room of terror. She was in her room back home.

She was home.

"Wynter." She looked at the woman who stared at her with worry. Her blue eyes were lively as she looked her over.

"Mama?" she croaked out. Her throat was burning. When her mother cupped her face, she silently cried at the warm touch.

"It's alright." Serenity gathered her eldest child, holding her close. She rocked her. Her skin was soft, warm; her bodily scent clung to her. Wynter wanted to cry.

"What happened?"

"You were screaming. We came in and you fighting, tossing violently in your sleep. We've been trying to wake you for some time."

"Is she awake?" The other voice sounded within the room. Looking over her mother's shoulders, she watched as her father came to her side. He was a alive. No noose around his neck, no blood. He was there, breathing and a little disheveled.

The young princess wasted no time. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed into his chest.

"You had us worried." King Endymion stroked her hair.

"Where's Rini and the Scouts and Koji and…and."

"Ssshhhh. Calm down, honey." Serenity placed a hand on her shoulder. "What are you talking about?" When she explained everything, both adults shook their heads.

"You've been here since your graduation. You've dreamt all of it."

"But…but." _A dream? Impossible?! _

"Honey. You haven't been to Tokyo in the 21st Century. There are no sorceresses." Serenity gave a gentle smile. "No one is dead, Especially not Neptune. We're all here, alive and well."

It was a dream? Had she really been that stressed that she had conjured up a scenario in her subconscious? Or was _this_ a dream? How could she know for sure?

"Come on. Let's go to the dining hall for breakfast and you can tell me about this Koji." Serenity giggled as she got up from the bed.

"I'd rather you not." She heard her father muttered as he walked beside his wife. The sun was just peering through the multitude of windows in her bedroom, filling it with light and warmth. She could sense no danger, no evil energy. She eased out of bed, searching for bruises and scars. There were none. She was dressed in a teal nightgown instead of her battle amour. Her sword, which was leaning against the wall next to her bed, had no nicks or scratches. As if she had never used it.

"Had I dreamt the whole thing?" she asked herself.

"Wynter, are you coming?" she looked across the room where her parents waited for her at the door. She started to move but something told her otherwise. She couldn't explain the feeling of some force pulling at her energy. Eyes casted down, her suspicion started to rise once more. All the light of the dawning sun filled her room, and yet there were no shadows casted.

That wasn't normal. There was no way that nothing in her room, not even her parents, had a shadow.

"This isn't right." She said to herself.

"Wynter?" her mother furrowed her eyebrows in worry. The princess's hand shook slightly as she assessed the situation. She was trapped.

How could she get out when she wasn't sure how she had gotten in? Panic driven, she reached for her sword. The flawless steel reflected off the light.

She heard her mother scream. Or at least she thought it was her mother; maybe it was her own. The wetness of her blood ran down her leg, soaking her gown. The pain was unbearable. Her vision started to blur and then it went black.


	23. Don't Forget Me

Chapter 23: Don't Forget Me

Wynter sucked in air; cold crisp air. She was back from the illusion casted by the Death Tree. She tried to move but soon realized the roots began to wrap around her legs.

She hacked away at them, kicking them away. She crawled back until the base of the tree stopped her. She didn't know how she gotten where she was. Maybe that was a clue that she must have been close to Shiguire's heart.

It was darker where she was, quieter; there was nothing but poisonous roots surrounding her. She stretched out her hands as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Soon, she could see that there was movement in the corner. She didn't know what; she was certain that she needed to go over there. Stepping lightly over the roots, she was grateful that her boots were high as she felt the razor edges cut at her calves. The poison would have been circulating though her system if she didn't have them.

Bending, twisting, and ducking over, under, and around the web of limbs and branches, Wynter finally made it to the edge of the room. To her horror, she wasn't prepared to deal with this. Her stomach churned as the soft hissing intensified. Snakes, hundreds of them, slithered and moved together. She couldn't tell if they were deadly. Most likely they were. They were there for something. They were surrounding something; Wynter could feel energy pouring out. She had to figure out a way to move them because using her hands was not an option.

She unhooked the sheath of her sword and slowly moved it towards the serpents. The hissing grew as a first and final warning; their small heads attacked the foreign object, biting it, injecting their venom. Wynter tossed them to the side. Hundreds and hundreds, they were never ending as she knocked them away, _far away_ from her. Sweat began to bead at her brow; dripping as she worked her way around them.

A small orange glow became visible, the warmth radiated from it. Entwined and encased in a small cage of roots and thrones.

_It this it? Is this Shiguire's heart?_

"Has to be." She whispered to herself. She prayed it was as her blade began to hack away at the remaining snakes.

As soon as the first strike of her sword came down, the room began to shake as an agonizing moan erupted. She dodged the root that sprang for her, splitting another in half. Wynter yelp when one snared her leg, dragging her back. She swung low. More came for her. One grabbed her dominate hand causing her sword to fall from her grasp as another wrapped around her throat. She screamed as the throne scraped her skin.

She was too close to fail now!

Lightening shot out from her fingertips. The impact sent the roots to release her. The cries from the monster became shrieks as it died. The sound was unbearable. Again the earth shook; the fog rescinded. The bark on the trees began to turn grey, cracked and brittle like ash.

Wynter made a run for it as the ceiling and floor crumbled around her. Diving head first, she tumbled into the stairwell just as the room caved in. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was on the hunt for Shiguire's heart only to find the Death Forest's instead. Well, at least that was one obstacle that they didn't have to worry about she supposed. No more illusions, deadly thrones, and man eating trees. Now they had to get rid of the monster that started this whole battle.

Gathering her bearings, her legs felt like jello but she would manage. As she bounded the steps, she prayed that the others were still in one piece.

* * *

By the time she had made it to the top, for the second time, the majority of the chaos was nearly over. Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter were pinning down Sailor Uranus while the others tried to talk her down. Her family looked in bad shape, more so Tuxedo Mask than anyone. Tormented by the recent events flashing back to his subconscious, guilt consuming him made an easy target for the Death Forest. He was lying still on Sailor Moon's lap. His flesh was turning an odd yellowish grey.

Anxiety filled Wynter's system as her eyes scanned the vast area. Over in the distance, she could see Koji and Shiguire dueling it out among the debris that was left from the Death Forest that was now desiccated.

Shiguire was beyond pissed. He had been reveling in the idea of finally getting rid of the Scouts and everyone that stood in his way. He watched as one of them was willing to give up her life. Crying about how it should have been her or some drivel nonsense. That was fine by him either way, but he enjoyed the show. And that other one couldn't get over his guilt trip about beating his girlfriend near to death. He laughed as she and pint size copy pulled the roots away. Unfortunately, the more they pulled, the more poison would pump into their bodies. Yes, the few prick here and there were only supposed to weaken them long enough for the Tree to consume their bodies. But too much of anything is never a good thing. They would die with the high amounts of poison in their systems. Not quickly though; oh no, it pain would last and last and slowly their bodies would become numb from the paralysis agents, then their organs would start to shut down, all the while experiencing excruciating pain.

When that green haired bitch left his dimension, he thought nothing of it. She's be trapped by the Forest's illusion in no time and that would be one less Scout to deal with. How was he to know that she would have from the source of its power? It was locked away to where he didn't know where its true location was.

_That bitch! That stupid, annoying, bitch!_ She was never in the time lapse before, but she was just as a nuisance as the others. Now that his most powerful attack had burned to ashes, he was left with the ultimatum that he wasn't planning on using.

With new found strength, Koji and he were evenly matched. Because it took so much of his power to fuel the Death Forest, he believed that his one attack would trump them all. No such luck and now he was running on empty.

_Stupid! Stupid, meddling!_ He was so close. He had been training for years, for this moment! He'd be damned if he would let them win once more!

He dodged his brothers' attack, grabbing him by the elbow; the punch to the jaw sent him skidding to the ground.

Eyes wild, burning with rage and fear, Wynter could clearly see that he was now looking for a way out.

"I told you to look for _his_ heart." Koji said winded. He was more than grateful that the carnivorous vegetation was destroyed; he could barely keep up with Shiguire with it in the way.

She knelt down, helping the prince to his feet. This wasn't good for the team. Not only was Koji completely depleted of energy, two were on the verge of death. "I thought I did."

Wild laughter erupted through the room. Why was Shiguire laughing? Maybe he'd finally snapped and realized that he had lost; he was going mad.

"Did you really think I would hide my own heart where you could find it? You all are idiots!" Shiguire held out his hand, slowly a fiery red and orange globe morphed in his hand, surrounded by swirls of black. The dark energy surrounding his heart was intense. But something was off. _Way_ off.

"My heart was always in the safest place. With me."

"Something's not right." Wynter became more suspicious. Why did he expose his heart? They would have never thought he wouldn't have hid it within the building, away from his physical body. The power that encased his heart was more powerful than any of them expected and none of it was his own. His heart was radiating such a power they were unsure as to what their next move was.

"You should have just let the Trees take you." Shiguire glared at the young princess that stood aside his brother. This wasn't how he had planned it. He would _not_ be defeated once more. It was his turn to win! It was his turn to taste victory and theirs to taste failure!

"Now those two will die a painful death and it's all you fault." He jutted his chine towards Uranus and Tuxedo Mask who were growing weaker by the minute. Wynter ran to him. His skin was on fire; he was burning up as cold sweat dripped from his face.

"Koji! Do something!"

"I can't. My blood won't save them. The toxins are a paralysis, but too much of it can be lethal." He faced the women now who were staring at him for answers with such lost and anguish on their faces. They had already lost one, they couldn't lose anyone else.

"It's too far gone. Their bodies are trying to fight it off." _And they are losing_. He thought with remorse. The sight of the older blonde, identical to Wynter and her younger sister, sobbed. Pushing the man to wake up, to fight for his life brought back the memories he and his sisters grieving over their mother. He knew the devastation that would rock their world once their lives slipped away. Anger swept through his body.

"I'll kill you." He muttered under his breath.

"Hn. Don't assume the role of the martyr so easily." Shiguire growled, baring his teeth. Slowly, he closed his hand around his own heart. "You see, I had a backup plan just in case. This…my heart, I infused it with the sorceress of Wrath, which is befitting in my current situation. Think of it as a bomb; an atomic bomb." He fingers clenched tighter, the bright glow faded, traveling up his arm before disappearing completely.

"If you kill me, then the whole world will die along with me!"

"What?!"

Their enemy laughed. His red eyes wild with madness. "There's enough power to take out this pathetic planet and then some!"

"Fuck off!" Jupiter stood, clenching her fist, white electricity buzzed around her.

"Ah, ah." He waggled a finger. "You can't win this war."

"You're bluffing!"

"Really? Well, why don't you see and find out. Face it, you've devotion to this planet means worlds to you all. You are it protectors! You would rather have everyone live in slavery under my reign then have them die! It's a win-win in my case and you are the losers!" He laughed hysterically. _Finally_, he had won! Finally he had his victory in his hands and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Now that he had them paralyzed in fear, what was he going to do with them? Maybe kill them right away or kill them slowly. Torture them some, make them suffer. Yeah, that would be more gratifying. Starting with Koji.

As he schemed and fantasied the different ways he could terrorize the group. Wynter felt something inside her. The voice that kept appearing in her head, her voice, reminding her that one couldn't live with the other. In that moment, it finally became clear. She knew what she had to do.

"I'll even make a deal with you. The first ones that bow at my feet, I'll go easy on and make my personal slaves." He boosted, laughing harder now.

Wynter held on to her Darien's cold hand. Sailor Moon cried next to her, pleading that he would return to her. Her younger sister, looked just as young and frail as she laid her head across his chest. Over her shoulder, more tears of and sorrow were shed.

Their backs were against the wall. If they fought and destroyed Shiguire, there was a possibility that the world would be destroyed along with him. If they didn't, then he would enslave the world.

So which was the lesser of the two evils?

Her world was shattering. Her family was dissolving before her eyes. They couldn't let Shiguire win.

_She _wouldn't let Shiguire win.

_***** (A/N: listen to Smash: Don't forget me (Karen ver.) my inspiration for this last part)*****_

Wynter brought Dairen's hand to her face, kissing his knuckles.

"Oh! We have a taker?" Koji turned at Shiguire's exclaim.

"What are you doing?" Wynter just grazed a hand over his shoulder as she walked passed.

"I see you're the smartest one here." She stopped a few feet in front of him. She was tired, but from the looks of it, he was in no better shape.

"You're out of power, aren't you? You wouldn't have shown your hand to us if you had the ability to fight. But you're tapped out."

Shiguire narrowed his eyes. "If that's true, then just end me." He challenged. Opening his arms wide for her to strike.

"No, I can't risk attacking up directly." She looked back at the others who were puzzled by her actions. What was she up to? What she going to surrender? Or was it something else?

Wynter pulled her sword; the graduation gift she received from the man that instilled bravery, honor, and every parts of her character in preparation for when she would take over the throne. She was a leader, a protector and she was good. All the makings of the Queen she would have been.

"I'll be damned if I let you win." She stabbed the tip of the blade into the concrete. It glowed, radiating warmth from her power. It grew brighter and powerful.

"Wait…what are you doing?!"

"Did you really think I, Princess of the Moon Kingdom, heir to the throne and daughter of Earth, would let you destroy this world?!" As she spoke, the golden white glow encircled her feet, her tattered clothes and armor transformed into the traditional Moon gown.

"Thanks to Koji, I have enough power to kill you once and for all."

"Do you not care about this world?!" Shiguire panicked. Backing away slowly, he slammed into an invisible shield.

"Of course I do." Wynter smirked, her skin glowing with rejuvenation and power. "That's why I've encased us both."

"Wait." Koji stepped forward, only to be stopped by the same shield. He banged against it. "Stop! What are you doing?!"

Wynter looked over her shoulder, Rini now ran to her, hitting at the wall. "I'm sorry."

"No! Stop it!" Rini cried out. Her small fist rapped again.

Wynter turned back to the task at hand. She blocked out the pleads and screams of her family and friends.

"You bitch!" Wild and mad, he charged at her. A shock of lighting surged through him, bring him to his knees.

"I'll let those be you last words." The wind inside picked up. Her power grew more. She called upon the Earth to give her more, in exchange, she promised to restore it back to health and rid it of the vile creature. The Earth complied, giving all it had to its princess. All the elements formed in her hand, absorbing into her sword as she channeled her Moon Power from it.

She glared at the monster, frozen in fear and felt nothing for him.

"Just know that all of your efforts for revenge were meaningless and a waste of your worthless life. Because as long as we're alive, evil will never win!"

Her light engulfed them both. There was silence. Then howling screams. The room shook from the explosion erupted in front of them, contained in the glass bubble; flashes of lightening appeared through the clouds of black smoke filled it. Tornadoes hit against the invisible walls as more explosions boomed; fire twirled and mingled with the wind twisters. The sight was as if Pandora's Box had just been open and chaos was trying to break free.

Suddenly, in the middle of the destruction, that golden white light appeared again struggling against the darkness. It won, flooding the entire sphere it glowed bright, blinding the rest of them.

The globe cracked, then shattered; engulfing everything in its path with light and warmth.

* * *

A/N: WAH! Extra late! Sorry! Unexpected surgery and still in recovery! :P I'm pushing hard to get done but in the meantime, enjoy!

Happy Easter!

Happy Resurrection Sunday!


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